My Best Pals (and Yuri)
by Pignite
Summary: (SPOILERS FOR THE FINALE) A comedic sequel that takes place after the events of the ARC-V anime. Yuya is sharing his body with Yuto, Yugo and Yuri. Life is always changing, and the four of them are going to try and figure things out together. But with four wildly different personalities, there's bound to be some clashes.
1. Scale 0: Prologue

_Dear Diary,_

 _Ever since the Dimensional War ended, things have been pretty good for me. And I owe it all to my friends, family, and everyone who'se ever helped me out. It's only been about a week since I had my big duel with Reiji, but I can tell that this is the start of a new chapter in my life._

 _Adjusting to a life without war hasn't been easy, since I have to get used to going to school again. Two schools: Maiami Second Middle School, and You Show Duel School. But a lot of the teachers and students have been very helpful and kind, since us Lancers helped save the Pendulum Dimension. (Thankfully, a lot of people seemed to have overlooked or forgiven the part where I became a being named Zarc and almost killed everyone. Yikes!)_

 _Thanks to my dad, LDS and many others, I'm officially starting my professional Entertainment Duelist career. I'm currently being sponsored by LDS, and Mr. Smiley is acting as my agent to organize duels for me. I'm a bit nervous about taking this big step, but I also can't wait to make so many people egao._

 _For the first time in a long time, my family is complete. My dad has come home, and he's patching things up with my mom. Spending three years apart would hurt any marriage, but they seem to be working it out. But Dad was really surprised to see that we have so many pets now!_

 _They were thinking of adopting my friend, Sora, since he didn't have a family of his own. But Sora said that he wanted to stay at Academia, in the Fusion Dimension, so he could help the students overcome their past teachings and learn to be kids again. Plus inter-dimensional adoption is a mess; the world's still trying to sort out laws and travel restrictions and stuff. but at least Sora said that he'll try and come and stay over during breaks, which is good._

 _My family's also trying to adjust to three... other members. My parents are still trying to digest the fact that I now share my body with three other people. To be honest, I'm still adjusting to it, too. But hopefully, we can work it out._

 _After fusing together and becoming Zarc, we became one being. But after Zarc's defeat, we were able to become separate entities, albeit in one body. We can talk to each other, argue, and even hold conversations with each other. But for me to talk to them more easily, I usually have to meditate and enter what I... I'm not sure what it's called. My subconscious? A state of being? An ethereal plane? Whatever it is, it's a place where we get to hang out. I'm sure I'll never feel lonely when I'm there!_

 _Just recently, I learned that we can switch control of my body, so everyone can have a turn being in control. I trust Yuto do be responsible, but I'm a little wary about giving control to Yugo and Yuri. But we all live and support each other, so I'm sure we can work it out._

 _Yuzu's in a similar position as me. She's sharing her body with Serena, Ruri and Rin. She tells me they've been adjusting to it well, but they've been having trouble leading their lives. Rin and Ruri have homes in different dimensions, and Yuzu and Ruri have their own families. Yuzu wants to work things out, so everyone can be happy._

 _I have a lot more to write down, but I'm going to give Yuto a turn to write his diary entry. (We're all writing our own diaries, so we can each have some private thoughts to ourselves.) After that, me and Yuzu are going to the movies. But when I get back, I'll tell you all about what me and my friends have been doing. For now, the fun has just begun!_

* * *

 _Sunday, April 2nd_

 _I've long since accepted my fate, to forever be part of Yuya Sakaki. I miss having my own body, and being able to sleep in my own bed. But I feel like I'm part of something bigger than myself now, and I'm still able to see my friends._

 _It's been harder adjusting to having Yugo and Yuri around. Yugo always apologizes for "killing me" and "kicking my ass in that duel," but he means well. Yuri, however, shows no remorse for kidnapping Ruri. He insists that we should get along, but he doesn't make it easy. It's a struggle, but as Yuya says, we have to make this work. Otherwise, we'll just end up killing each other. Again._

 _Yuya's parents are very great people. I had heard about Mrs. Sakaki from Mr. Sakaki before, but I was still surprised by her when I met her in person. She's beautiful, wise, and so full of life. With a family like this, I can see why Yuya grew up to be the person he is today. I'm looking forward to getting to know them better._

 _I have a date with Ruri coming up. Both Yuya and Yuzu were kind enough to let us take over their bodies for a day. We're planning on going to the movies together, and then having a picnic by the seafront._

 _I've dreamed of showing her around this place. After spending so much time in Maiami City, I know all the best spots; places that I just know she'll love._

 _\- Yuto_

* * *

 _DEAR JOURNAL_

 _IT'S GREAT LIVING HERE! I FINALLY HAVE PARENTS, AND I GET TO GO TO SCHOOL, AND I ALWAYS HAVE GOOD FOOD ON THE TABLE. YUYA'S MOM KNOWS A LOT ABOUT BIKES, AND SHE IS TEACHING ME A LOT I DID NOT KNOW BEFORE!_

 _I MISS ALWAYS SEEING RIN WHEN I WAKE UP, OR WHEN I GO TO BED. BUT KNOWING THAT SHE LIVES CLOSE BY, IT MAKES ME HAPPY._

 _MY ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT I HAVE TO DEAL WITH YURI EVERY DAY. THAT GUY REALLY NEEDS A PUNCH TO THE FACE, AND I CAN'T WAIT TO GET OUR BODIES BACK SO I CAN DO JUST THAT._

 _XOXO_  
 _YUGO_

At the bottom of the page, there was a little doodle of Yugo, riding a D-Wheel. "VROOM VROOM" was written above his head.

* * *

 _Dear Diary_

 _You know, when I planned to fuse us boys together and become a powerful evil entity to destroy the world, I didn't expect us to end up in our current situation. But when life gives you lemons, you poison the red-and-green lemon so your sickening influence can hurt everything around them._

 _The Pendulum Dimension is very different from the Fusion Dimension. For one, people here are a lot weaker and less disciplined. They don't post any sort of challenge for me in a duel, but they're very easy to scare. For now, I'm content._

 _Regular school is strange. They teach us about English, writing, drama, and other needless subjects meant to distract us from Duel Monsters. Being a genius like myself, I have no problems acing everything. Still, it's annoying how the tomato head doesn't let me turn people into cards. it would make school much more interesting._

 _I think owning a diary is pointless and stupid, and keeping secrets is pointless when we could easily just find each other's journals and read them. if you're reading this, Fusion, I'm going to go through your diary later._

 _If you want to learn more about me, please follow my Twitter account. I'll be tweeting whenever I get a chance to take over._


	2. Scale 1: Mysteries Abound

_**A/N: Wow I'm rusty. I'm so used to RPing that I'm not used to writing in this format. Probably shouldn't have chosen to start with a dialogue-heavy story, but me just adjust and try to work things out.**_

 _ **I look forward to covering the mindscape stuff later. I'm trying to keep in minimal now, but I've been working out all the rules, layouts and ideas for it for future chapters.**_

 ** _Also, I hate how paragraph separation look on this site. Everything looks just so cluttered. I guess some things never change._**

* * *

Deep within the mindscape, four boys gathered. In an empty, colorless void filled with fog, three of them stood and faced the fourth, waited for his words. They stood under a spotlight; something that kept their vision unobscured by the area around them.

"So, why are we here, Tomato Boy?" Yuri asked. He shrugged in confusion, and he looked as bored as he could.

Yuya hesitated a moment. After a moment, he found the words to answer Yuri, "I have something very important to discuss with you guys. There's been an incident..."

Yuto's eyes widened. "An incident? Is anyone hurt?"

"N-no, nothing like that!" Yuya stammered. "But you know our computer?"

"Eh? Did Fusion break it?" Yuri asked. "I told you, we can't trust an unevolved being to handle such complex machinery."

"My name's not Fusion!" Yugo snapped. He raised a fist to Yuri's face. "It's Yugo! ... And I didn't break anything! ...Right, Yuya?"

"Right, right!" Yuya said quickly. "But... You see, I need to know who used it last. Whoever took control last night, they did something. When I woke up and logged on, I found a lot of..."

The boys looked at Yuya expectantly, each with various looks of confusion. Yuya's face grew red at the thought of having to explain the situation to them. It would have been easier if they understood or, better yet, one of them confessed to the deed.

Yuya rubbed the back of his neck. "Porn."

"Porn?" Yuto questioned.

"Porn?" Yuri asked, smirking.

"Porn?" Yugo gasped.

"Porn," Yuya said. "Whoever used it last bookmarked a lot of... porn. A lot. Like, I can't find any of my files or pages; all that comes up is porn. This is crazy; what if our parents find it? We'll all be in big trouble."

"What kind of porn?" Yugo asked as he rubbed his chin. His face was blushing, and a hint of a smile grew on his face.

Yuya closed his eyes and concentrated. This was one of the benefits of sharing a body with them; he could share his memories with them if he really wanted to. And at this moment, he pictured the contents of his computer. Every URL, every video, and every piece of pornography filled his head. And he could feel his mind reaching out to theirs, giving each of the other guys these same images.

Yuto blushed and turned his head away. Yugo's nose bled as visions of Dark Magician Girls and their misdeeds entered his head. Yuri remained indifferent.

"I-I've never even heard of Backdoor Lunalights..." Yuri coughed. "Could those girls even...?"

"Well, yes... Apparently, they _can_ ," Yuya responded. His face was as red as a tomato at this point. "But that's not really the point... Let's just try and figure out who did it."

"Dark Magician Girls can't be Normal Summoned without a tribute like that!" Yugo barked.

"Yes, that's why it was an _illegal_ move," Yuri added. "Didn't you pay attention to that video's title?"

"R-right, Yuya... But who could have taken over?" Yuto asked.

"I don't know," Yuya confessed. "I just left myself open before I went to bed, so I don't know who took the chance. I was hoping one of you would know."

"Why does it matter who did it?" Yuri asked. "Whoever did it won't confess; they have no reason to, and they'll be humiliated if they do."

But then, a wicked smile grew on Yuri's face. "Or maybe we should try to figure this out. Learning about each other's fetishes and kinks, it would be a great way for us to bond."

"No!" Yuya and Yuto said at the same time.

"Well we know it's not Yuri's porn!" Yugo added. "I think he's not into the female form, if you catch my drift."

Yuri smiled and put an arm around Yugo's shoulder. He moved himself close to his counterpart and presses his shoulder against him.

"Are you sure about that?" Yuri said, smiling. "After all, you were the one who was inside me."

Yugo growled, then jumped out of Yuri's hold. He pulled back his fist and took a swing at his counterpart's face. Yuri quickly ducked his head, avoiding the hit.

"Your violence just makes me love you more," Yuri giggled. "But we both know I'm the dominant one. Or will I have to destroy you again?"

"Stop being gross and weird!" Yugo roared. "Yuya, kick him out before I punch him out."

Yugo lunged at Yuri. Once again, Yuri was able to dodge the attack. Yugo, now boiling with anger, chased Yuri, who ran away from the scene. The ran through the mindscape, leaving the clarity of the spotlight and fading into the sea of fog.

"W-wait guys!" Yuya called out. "We're not done talking!"

Yuya sighed, then turned to Yuto. Yuto extended a sympathetic hand to Yuya's shoulder and gave him a nod, showing him that he was there for Yuya. He wasn't going to just run off and avoid the situation, like the other two.

"I wanted to talk to the person who did it privately, but maybe Yuri's right," Yuya sighed. "Whoever did it has no reason to admit it."

"But you wanted to know, so you can talk to them," Yuto said calmly. "Yuya, I can tell you wanted to help."

"I didn't want to embarrass anyone, but... I think we should just try and keep each other in mind, and and respect each other's spaces. That's what I wanted to talk to them about. Now I need to delete everything before my parents find out."

"I think we should stop worrying about who did it," Yuto said. "I'll find Yugo and Yuri later, and I'll talk to them about respecting each other's stuff."

Yuya smiled and gave Yuto a small nod. "Thank you, Yuto. I know I can count on you."

Yuya closed his eyes. His body started to become translucent, and the spotlight started to fade. His image was slowly becoming one with the fog around him as his mind started to leave the mindscape.

"So, who do you think...?"

"I don't think it's good to keep wondering," Yuto answered. "But if I had to guess..."

"Yugo," the two of them said together.

And with that, Yuya finally faded from sight. And Yuto could breathe a sigh of relief.


	3. Scale 2: Strong, Independent Nightingale

_**A/N: Now that I've covered the mindscape a bit, I want to talk about how the Yu boys/bracelet girls interact with each other in this story.**_

 _ **The boys/girls can communicate with each other without entering the mindscape, but they an only hear each other's voices and sometimes see them. They can, however, properly see each other and interact with them physically when they enter the mindscape.**_

* * *

A girl's red sweater rested in a small shoe box, gently folded and molded to take the box's shape. It rested on a desk by Yuzu's window, and the sun's rays poured down on the lid. Resting inside was a small, sleeping bluethroat.

Yuzu was very surprised to find the bird on her front lawn that morning. It was injured, and it let out an aria of pain. But thanks to Ruri's advice and intervention, they were able to safely wrangle up the bird and bring it inside.

It took a while for the bird to calm down. But eventually, its panicked cries softened over time. And Yuzu and Ruri stood by its side the whole time, taking turns keeping watch.

Yuzu sat on a chair and rested her hands on the desk, observing the shoebox. Her mind was filled with anxiety, but also hopeful optimism. She couldn't wait to see the little bird take to the skies again.

"Thanks for all your help, Ruri," Yuzu said quietly. "I don't think I would have known what to do without you here."

 _It's no problem,_ came Ruri's voice from within. _Shun and I did this before, when we were kids. Our home had a lot of trees nearby, so we would find birds on the ground sometimes._

"It's a good thing you had experience, then," Yuzu replied. "Did any of you have pets before?"

 _Me and Yugo took care of a cat,_ Rin said. _We couldn't afford to adopt and take care of it full-time, but we could give it food whenever it stopped by. Yugo loved to play with it._

 _Cats are great,_ Serena announced. _Fierce, independent, wouldn't fall out of a tree and get hurt... But we weren't allowed to have pets at Academia._

"I'm sorry to hear that," Yuzu said softly. "Maybe I could convince our dad to get us a cat?"

 _Which dad?_ Rin asked. _Yours, or Ruri's?_

"Mine, mine," Yuzu answered. "He's all of ours, too, and..."

Yuzu paused. A heavy, bitter feeling welled in the pit of her stomach. Her thoughts immediately went to Ruri, and the could only sympathize with her being separated from her family.

Yuzu put a hand to her cheek. Hopefully, Ruri would somehow be able to feel it. A sympathetic show of support.

"Ruri," she started. "We're going to visit our family in the Xyz Dimension soon, okay?"

 _Ruri, I'm so sorry!_ Rin said. _I wasn't thinking about- I mean, I didn't mean anything by it._

There was a moment of hesitation before Ruri responded, "Don't worry about me, everyone. But I appreciate it. Thank you."

 _Yeah, I'm not worried, either,_ Serena added. _We're strong, we're fierce. We don't need a family to take care of us, anyway._

"Serena, you're not being sensitive to Ruri's feelings," Yuzu said with a sigh. "I know you mean well, but-"

 _Yeah! Talk about being rude,_ Rin scoffed.

 _I- well- I..._ Serena stammered. _I didn't mean to be... Hey, don't blame me, you're the one who made things weird!_

 _Don't throw this at me! I-_

 _Please, don't fight over me!_ Ruri pleaded.

"Stop arguing!" Yuza snapped. "Both of you, enough!"

"HOOOONNNEEEY!" yelled a voice. It was Shuzo, calling out from downstairs.

"Yes, dad?" Yuzu called out.

"Is everything okay?" he yelled. "Are you arguing with the voices in your head again?"

"They're not voices, dad! They're three girls who live in my body after the Professor forcecd us to fuse back into his daughter."

There was a short pause. After a moment of awkard silence, Shuzo said, "... Okay, as long as you're not fighting!"

"We're not!"

"Also, Yuya called; he's going to be here in a few minutes!"

"Okay, thanks!"

"Be sure to come down! I don't want him to be alone in your room!"

Yuzu paused, then let out a fierce growl. "How could you say that?! What kind of girl do you think I am?! Of course he's not allowed in my room!"

Admist her father's stammers, Yuzu rose up from her seat. She reached down to the side of her desk, picking up a large paper fan by its hilt. Her dad needed to-

 _Wait, Yuya's coming over?_ Serena asked. _Why?_

"I invited him over, so he could help us with the bird," Yuzu replied. "Yuya has a lot of pets, so I figured he might be able to help."

 _Are you sure it's not because you want to flirt with him?_ Rin asked. Her voice was just dripping with bemusement.

"N-no, it's nothing like that!" Yuzu gasped. "You know how much I trust him. Whenever there's a problem, me and him are always there for each other."

 _If you ask me, we don't need his help,_ Serena said. _But I trust Yuya, too. He's a bit sensitive and emotional, but he's got a kind heart._

"Uh-huh," Yuzu said with a nod.

 _And these really soft, feminine hands, too, for sme reason. Like, he couldn't hurt a bird even if he tried._

"Hey!"

 _Better him than Yugo, honestly,_ Rin sighed. _I'm 100% sure that he can't be trusted with something small and delicate._

 _I'd like to meet Yuya properly,_ Ruri added. _From what I hear, he sounds a lot like Yuto: sensitive and sweet._

 _A little too sensitive, but also couragous._ Serena concluded. _It was great fighting alongside him, Yuzu._

"I'm glad we can at least agree on Yuya," Yuzu said. A big smile started to creep up on her face. "So, he'll come over, and we'll show him the bird."

 _I don't know if we should bring him here, honestly._

"Why not?"

 _What if Yuya's not the one showing up?_

 _You mean, what if one of the other boys is in control?_ Ruri asked.

 _What if it's Yuri?_

 _Ugh, that creepy guy with the eyebrows, right?_ Rin was practically gagging as she spoke. Although Yuzu couldn't see it, Rin was covering her own mouth.

 _Oh my God, I would not let him even get close any animal,_ Ruri said nervously. _I'm sure he's probably nicer, now that Yuto's with him. But no. Never. Never, ever._

 _Agreed,_ Serena, well, agreed. _All in favor of pushing him down the stairs if he shows up?_

 _Seconded._

 _Thirded,_ Rin added.

"Don't!" Yuzu snapped. "That's Yuya's body."

 _He's gone through war, he'll be fine,_ Serena chuckled. _It's not like he hasn't fallen down stairs before._

 _I'd rather he get a little hurt, than let Yuri do whatever he wants to the poor bird,_ Rin said.

Before any of the girls could speak further, they were interrupted. The sound of the doorbell echoed through the house; it was the gently four-note tune. Yuya quickly dropped the fan and started walking out of her room.

"That must be Yuya, girls," Yuzu whispered to the others. "Just relax, and try not to make things weird."

The voices in her head kept silent, leaving Yuzu to run down the stairs and head towards the front door.

She rushed past her father, who was in the living room by the door. Shuzo lowered the newspaper in his hands to follow his daughter with a gaze.

Yuzu opened the door, revealing Yuya's smiling face. Yuzu quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and threw herself into a hug. Yuya's hands first remained at his sides, but after a moment of hesitation, wrapped around Yuzu's waist.

"It's good to see you again, Yuzu," he said softly.

"It's good to see you too, Yuya," Yuzu said, smiling.

"It's good to see you two keeping a respectable distance from each other!" Shuzo called out. "Hands off my daughter, son."

Yuzu blushed, and the two pushed themselves away from each other. There was a bit of an awkward pause in the air, followed by Yuzu chuckling softly.

"Let me go get the bird," Yuzu told him. "Wait here - I know you'll just love to see her."

"I can't wait," the boy responded.

And with that, Yuzu turned around and headed back up the stairs. Yuri's violet eyes followed her up. He could tell that this was going to enjoy spending time with her.

* * *

 _ **A/N: I still hate how the site's layout looks. Dialogue-heavy chapters like this just look so blegh. I want to start moving away from just talking, and start focusing on action-driven stuff. At least that looks better on the site, and it'll give me more of a chance to show how the boys and girls each have their own body language and quirks.**_

 _ **Anyway, I'm so glad that this fic's getting a lot of attention. Since I'm writing this story for you guys, I'd like to let you choose what the next chapter will be about. Here are three idea I had**_

 _ **a) A story about Yuri's Twitter wars.**_

 _ **b) A Yuto-centric story, where he must take Core to the vet for Yuya. But Yuri and Yugo have reasons to stop him from reaching the clinic.**_

 _ **c) Yugo having father-son bonding time with Yusho.**_

 _ **d) When Yoko gets Yuri a present, Yuri becomes obsessive over her.**_

 _ **The most popular idea will be written up. If there's a tie or no one answers, I'll just go with whatever I feel like.**_

 ** _UPDATE: Voting is done. Thanks for all the comments, everyone._**


	4. Scale 3: The Cringe Factor

**A/N: You were asked, and you answered. In this chapter, Yoko tries to be the mother Yuri never had. But she's completely clueless on how to figure out Yuri's actions and ideas, much less actually deal with him.**

 **Fair warning that at some points, this chapter might be a little more risque and unpleasant than normal. This is Yuri we're dealing with, after all.**

* * *

Reiji hunched over his computer as he examined his screen. With an emotionally blank face, he scrolled through the information that was presented before him.

Files. Notes. Information. Almost every day, LDS had gained more and more knowledge of what was to come: a force stronger than Zarc, which threatened to change life as they knew it forever.

Reiji leaned back and looked up to the ceiling. He had a lot to process now. It was up to him to combat this possible new danger. If it was even a danger to them.

A new dimension. One that didn't have any relation to Zarc or Ray. How could this happen?

* * *

 _I'm trusting you, Yuri,_ Yuya told him. _But if I sense trouble, I'm taking over._

 _I'll be a good boy,_ Yuri replied. _You won't regret it._

Today was yet another good day for Yuri. Because today, Yuya had granted him control of the body. And boy, did he have plans for himself now that he was free.

Seeing that he was still unfamiliar with the Pendulum Dimension, it only seemed right that he explore his new home. Seeing as he was (technically) a savior of the world (in a way), he was a hero, and he considered doing some deeds that could benefit the world around him. And one of those deeds would be to take out the trash for everyone.

And by that, he meant kill. Straight-up just go on a rampage and clear the city of all its weakest duelists by carding them. See, wouldn't that benefit everyone? Well, except the people who get carded. But they'd be dead, so who would care?

Yuri walked down the stairs, ready to begin his journey. Once he reached the end of the stairs, he made his way past the open kitchen by his right, only to spot a sea of dogs and cats by the fridge.

Yuri glanced over the selection. After a quick count, he took note of fourteen dogs and cats. and every single one of them sat in silence, watching the fridge.

"My, aren't you all cute?" he said with a smile. "Are you waiting for food?"

It was strange, seeing so many animals up close. Academia had a strict "no pets" rule, and Yuri never ventured outside of the school much. The only animals he'd seen were strays he had seen while on missions, or the birds that flew above Academia.

"Oh, Yuri, right?" said a female voice.

And there she was. Yuya's mother, the MILF herself. Yoko Sakaki had entered the room with her hands behind her back. She approached Yuri with an oddly friendly smile.

"Am I really that striking, mommy Sakaki?" Yuri asked sarcastically. "That you can tell me apart from your son?"

"What kind of mother would I be if I couldn't tell my sons apart?" she scoffed. "... Aaaand Yuya told me that you would be taking over for the day."

Yuri put a hand to his mouth. "Oh, did he? Has he arranged a date for us?"

Yoko smiled. "Yuri, you silver-tongued devil. One of these days, a woman just might yank it out of your mouth."

"With their teeth, I hope."

"Yeah, I... Wait, what?"

Yoko shook her head. She could tell right then that it was best not to let this weird young man get inside her head.

"I wanted to talk to you, actually," Yoko continued. "Since you and the other boys part of the family now, I want to get to know you all better."

A bemused look fell on Yuri's face. People were a lot less interesting when they weren't giving into his barbs. He silently debated on whether to keep trying to find a way to push her buttons, or choose to spend his limited time on painting the town red. The woman wasn't going anywhere; he'd be able to traumatize her any time.

To Yuri's surprise, Yoko brought her arms in front of her. In her right hand was a small, plastic flower pot. Extending out from the dirt was a long, thin branch with purple maple leaves at the end.

"Yuya said that you play a Plant deck," Yoko said to him. "So I thought you might like some plants. It's a purple Japanese maple."

"And why, exactly, are you giving this to me?" he asked. He raised a curious eyebrow to Yoko.

"Think of it as a welcoming gift, Yuri," the woman responded. "You're part of the family now, and I want you to know that."

Yoko placed the plant in the boy's hands. Yuri's face became blank as he looked down on it. He wasn't exactly sure what to make of this. For once, he was put completely off-guard by someone.

"Do you like it?" Yoko asked.

Her words brought Yuri back to his senses. No, he wasn't going to let her have a "win" over boy nodded and placed the plant on the dining table behind him.

"Oh, what a thoughtful gift!" Yuri said happily. "I've always had the urge to nurture and care for another living being."

Lies, blatant lies. And from the wicked, mocking look on his face, a look that sent shivers down her spine, Yoko could tell that Yuri's mind hid way more from her than his words could ever tell her.

"I suppose you'll be heading out now?"

"Maybe I won't, Mother. Perhaps we should take this time to bond, now that we're family."

The word 'mother' sent more shivers down Yoko's spine. Never before had she thought that such a benign word could feel so... bad.

* * *

When you have your husband, your child, your fourteen pets and yourself living together, things tend to get messy, real fast. And one of the jobs of stay-at-home mother and home maker was to keep things clean.

Yoko had told Yuri to go relax, wait for her in the living room, and watch some television. That would hopefully keep him busy while she collected and folded the laundry downstairs.

Yuya's clothes were in the washing machine. _Duel Monster_ cards (saved from Yuya's pants pockets before they could go in the wash) were piled up on top of the machine. Her and Yusho's laundry were folded and organized neatly in a plastic laundry basket by the dryer.

Yoko folded the last of her clothes, but her mind was on other things. Thoughts about Yuya, and the boys inside of his mind. Yuto, Fusion, and Yuri.

None of them had parents. None of them seemed to have homes to return to. When Yusho and Yuya told her about them, her first thoughts were about adopting them into the family. There was no way she was going to let these poor things feel unloved.

Yuri was a strange one. Very strange. And when she looked into his eyes, she could instantly tell that there was no humanity in them. But that didn't matter - Yuri was her son now. He deserved her love and attention. The love he never got from Academia.

She smiled brightly at the thought. That must have been it! Yuri just needed some love to bring put a genuine egao on his face.

Yoko bent down and dropped the rest of the laundry inside. She then hoisted the basket over her shoulder and turned right around.

Only to find Yuri, standing uncomfortably close to her.

In Yoko's surprise, she yelped and threw her hands back. The basket fell to the ground, and the clean clothes inside spilled onto the floor.

"Yuri, you scared me!" Yoko gasped. "Do you need something?"

"I came down to see if you needed help, Mother," the boy said happily.

A smile returned to Yoko's face. He was still unsettling, but this was a sweet gesture from him. Maybe the plant helped her break through to him?

"I'd love that, son. Thank you."

Yuri knelt down and picked some laundry off the floor. He rose up and presented them to Yoko. It was a handful of her underwear, about five pairs in total.

"Your underwear is very lovely, Mother," he said calmly.

Yoko visibly shuddered. "Thank you, Yuri. I guess?"

Yuri held up the woman's underwear. Slowly, delicately, and with expert precision, he started to fold them before her. A gently smile rested on his face, and his eyes were completely focused on what he was doing.

Yoko bent down and started throwing the clothes back into the basket. "Don't worry about folding, Yuri. Just throw everything in the basket and I'll do it later."

"But I want to help. It allows us to spend some time together."

Yoko rose to meet Yuri. He presented her with four pairs of underwear, each folded to perfection. Yoko quickly snatched them from his hand and threw them into the basket.

"Thank you, Yuri," she said hastily. "How about we go and get a head start on dinner now?"

Yuri's face grew bright. "Oh, I'd love that, Mommy! Let's go!"

One crisis down, at least. Yoko quickly dropped the basket on top of the dryer and dashed towards the stairs. She decided to go ahead of Yuri, since she was pretty sure that if he went first, he would turn around and push her down the stairs at any point.

* * *

The name of the game was dinner, and today she was playing with a vegetable soup. After leaving the basement, Yoko had gone into the kitchen and started on dinner. At this particular moment, she was cutting some carrots on a cutting board.

Yuri stood behind her. Uncomfortably close behind her. That made Yoko pretty nervous. Even more than she already was.

 _I still can't read him just yet,_ Yoko thought to herself. _He has a history of being evil, but I think he's coming around._

She turned around to give Yuri a gentle smile.

 _Maybe... Maybe he's acting this way because he has a crush on me?_

She blushed. She wasn't a stranger to boys falling all over her. In retrospect, this made... _some_ of Yuri's actions seem less menacing and creepy.

 _I don't blame him for falling for me. Maybe I'm his first crush! I'll have to teach him about boundaries and respecting my space, but... To be honest, I would probably crush on me, too._

Yuri moved closer to Yoko. He put a hand on her shoulder and leaned in close. He gleefully watched her as she brought the knife down on the carrots.

 _Okay, maybe he's not crushing._

Back to square one. Yuri remained ever the enigma. One she was worried that would kill her one day if she wasn't careful and supportive.

"Have you ever cooked before, Yuri?"

"No, ma'am," the boy replied. "But I'd love to help you."

Yoko gulped. Every single one of her senses screamed for her to be wary of this boy. She would have to watch him like a hawk while he was in the kitchen.

"Here, grab a knife," Yoko said to him. "You can cut the..."

Yoko paused. Was she really going to trust him with a knife.

"On second thought, I'll do the cutting," she said hastily. "You can... Ah..."

Yuri looked at her with wide, loving eyes. They still seemed to lack the very spirit of human decency, but he was displaying an uncomfortable amount of affection.

"Yuri, you know I'm your mother now, right?" she said slowly. "And I love you, and I want you to feel loved. But I think we need to talk about how you treat people."

"Don't worry about that, Mother," Yuri responded. "I don't want to hurt _you_."

"That's not what I meant... Well, that, too, I guess, but..."

The tension was cut through by the sound of ringing. Both Yuri and Yoko turned to the phone stand in the living room. The cordless phone stood in the stand, chirping an instrumental tune of Believe x Believe by Bullet Train.

"Could you go grab the phone for me, Yuri?" Yoko asked. "Please?"

Yuri nodded dutifuly to her, then pranced towards the phone. He approached the stand, picked up the phone and pressed it to his ear.

"Hello?" Yuri said into the phone.

Yoko's eyes were glued to Yuri. She watched him expectantly, waiting for him to say something bad. Some sort of proof that she was right to suspect him.

Instead, he just turned to her.

"Mother, I'm afraid that I must cut out time together short."

Yoko's heart nearly dropped to her stomach. A wave of shock and relief came over her. She was free of him for now.

"Leaving so soon?" Yoko asked.

"Yuzu rescued an injured bird, but she called me to help her take care of it."

"I'm glad we got to spend a bit of time together, at least," she lied. "Go, hurry up and check on Yuzu."

Yuri nodded to her, then spoke into the phone. "Right away, Yuzu. I'll come swing by and take a look at that bird. I can't wait to see it."

Yuri hung up the phone, then cast it aside on a couch. Without any word or fanfare, he waked over to his shoes, slipped them on, and walked out of the door.

After several minutes, Yoko pressed her back against the fridge, then slowly slid to the ground. As several animals climbed on top of her, she could only freeze and try to hold in her screams.

He was gone for now. And when the day was over, Yuri would hand control of Yuya's body back to her son. And then she could rest easy. She wouldn't have to look at the boy's terrifying eyes, or watch over her shoulder for him.

But Yuzu! Would Yuzu be okay? Shuzo was home, but Yuri was coming for a visit.

Yoko closed her eyes. "No."

The woman slowly rose up from the ground. Her fists were clenched tight, and her face became austere.

She let Yuri get in her head; something she wanted to avoid. She let him wear her down and make he a wreck.

"I need to go after him," she said to herself. "Yuzu, I'm coming. I'm not going to leave you with him."

 _No more, Yuri._

She wasn't going to let him win. She was going to stop him. He was her son, and she needed to give him some tough love.

* * *

 **A/N: What was Yuya doing during this chapter? Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's spirit kept biting Yugo, so he had to spend his time dealing with that. Turns out Dark Rebellion doesn't like Yugo, since he kinda sorta accidentally murdered Yuto that one time.**

 **Yuri is a character I really love and I love writing him. He's very complex, and his personality, ideas and motivations are conveyed on so many layers. His words can say one thing, but his tones, looks and mannerisms can all say something else. His appeal comes from not beng relatable and human, but his his inhuman nature and ability to mimic humanity in order to hurt others.**

 **That being said, I also hate writing him because he's super hard for me to write for; since I'm limited to just text and descriptions, there's a lot that I can't convey about him. A lot of things will have to be left vague or up to interpretation, and certain traits of him will have to be simplified. But since this story is a comedy first and foremost, I'm glad that I can at least relax on his portrayal and play to what I see as his comedic strengths.**


	5. Scale 4: How to Paint Your Pain

_**A/N: Because I have an unwarranted belief that my ideas are worth sharing, I really want to delve into the post-ARC-V world and flesh it out more. But since I can't just post a chapter just dedicated to me just explaining what I imagine happens, my only options are to either slowly explore it in the story, or cover some small facts in the author's notes of every chapter.**_

 _ **I'm going to do both. So starting with next chapter, I'll start giving out a random fact or idea I had about the Dimensions, the characters, or future events. Hopefully this will make the story I want to tell seem more interesting to you guys. And with any luck, I'll be able to actually explore these facts in more detail in the story proper.**_

 _ **Until then, please enjoy Yugo's very own chapter.**_

* * *

 _Do you know what my favorite thing about Yuya is? He's very good to Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. But do you know what my second favorite thing about Yuya is? He's decided to let each of us have a day in control of his body._

 _Yuri has Saturdays. Or did. Between the race war he started and what happened with the bird a couple days ago, don't think Yuya will let him have a turn for a while. Yuto has Thursdays. Me? I have Fridays. And Yuya has the other four days, and all evenings._

 _Today things were a little different, though. Even though it was a Monday, Yuya let me take the body for a spin. Something about having to talk to Yuri about what he did over the weekend. Yuto said that he was willing to let me have today. Pretty cool, huh?_

 _Yuto is a pretty cool guy. He's been helping me with my writing. He said that one day I should try writing my own stories. Maybe I'll do that!_

 _I'm going to school now. Me and Yuzu are walking there together. Maybe she'll let me talk to Rin later?_

 _XOXO_  
 _YUGO_

* * *

A day at Maiami Second Middle School started with homeroom. The first period varied by day, and would be followed by second period, then lunch, and then two other classes. Aside from gym class, all of their classes took place in homeroom, with a teacher coming to the classroom to teach their class.

Since government-funded non-dueling schools had taken a lot of budget cuts, coupled with a lack of teachers with educations outside of _Duel Monsters_ , many teachers were left teaching a variety of classes for their students. In Yuya's class's case,the teacher for most of their first period classes was also their homeroom teacher, Miss Satonaka. And that day, they were learning about art.

"It can help you understand a person's feelings, or communicate in a way you can't through words," Miss Satonaka would say about the subject. "You can learn much about history by the art of that era... And it could also help you get a successful career, like being a _Duel Monsters_ card artist, or designing posters for _Duel Monsters_ tournament."

Miss Satonaka was a woman with with curly brown hair, thick circular glasses, a nasaly voice, and a face that only a mother could love. She was a wallflower, and would often not be noticed by others in the room. She was liked by her students because her willingness to help them, but would often go unnoticed unless she spoke directly to them.

The last part was particularly relevant that day. Because it was time for attendance, Miss Satonaka was repeatedly calling out Yuya Sakaki's name while staring directly at Yugo.

Yugo remained at his seat, staring at the notebook, sketch book and pencil case that had been handed out earlier. Having never experienced an art class before, he was excited to see what was in store. Frankly, he was never big on education. But a class dedicated on coloring on a piece of paper? He knew he could totally ace it.

"Sakaki?" the teacher called out. "Yuya Sakaki?"

Yuzu, who had naturally taken a seat beside Yugo, tapped his head. "Yugo, she's calling you."

"Oh? Huh?" he snorted. "Me? Teacher lady, I'm not Yuya."

The woman rolled her eyes in disbelief. Several students turned to face Yugo in confusion. Some of them had curious looks, though a few had more derisive stares and frowns.

"Very funny, Mr. Sakaki," Satonaka responded dryly. "If this is supposed to make me egao, it's not."

"For real, miss lady, sir!" Yugo snapped back. "The name's Yugo."

"Fusion? Like the car-"

"Not Fusion!" he roared. He raised a fist and shook it, like some old man who wanted to scare off some kids who trespassed on his lawn. "Not Fusion, Yugo!"

"So you're not Yuya?"

"No, I'm Yugo."

"So that means Yuya is skipping class," the teacher said finally. "First he nearly kills us all, now he's becoming a delinquent."

The teacher ran her hand down the clipboard, examining each of the remaining student names. She stopped at the name just below Yuya's, then tapped her finger on it.

"Sawatari?" the woman called out. "Is Sawatari here today."

"Oh, Miss Satonaka," Yuzu called, raising her hand. "Sawatari's not in our class anymore."

The teacher tapped her finger to her temple, then widened her eyes. "Oh yes, I remember the principal saying something... Then is Sawaggi in the class? Nozomu Suwaggi?"

The teacher continued on with the role call, though Yugo had completely lost interest in that. Instead, he leaned in closer to Yuzu. Noting this, Yuzu also leaned her body close to Yugo's.

"What happened to Sawatari?" he whispered to her. "He's still alive, right?"

"I'm not sure where he's gone, Yugo," Yuzu whispered back. "He hasn't been at school since he regained his memories of the previous universe. Last Friday, our homeroom teacher told us that he transferred schools."

"Oh, right," Yugo said solemnly. "So I don't know what you're talking about, but do you know why he left?"

"I don't know," Yuzu confessed. "No one's been able to contact him."

Yugo leaned back an looked off in thought. He was kind of hoping to see Shingo again. Their duel in the Friendship Cup was still carved in Yugo's mind and filled his imagination.

But at least he had art class. Yugo opened his sketch book to the first page, then spilled the contents of his pencil case over it. Crayons and colored pencils poured down, with some rolling off the side of his desk and onto the floor.

Time to art, right? Yugo grabbed hold of a red pencil, then started to run it across the paper. He would switch to orange, to black, to blue, and to various other colors. Yugo put all of his focus onto creating his picture.

About nine minutes passed when Yuzu looked over to Yugo and tapped his shoulder. But Yugo, completely focused on his art, didn't seem to even notice the tapping, much less acknowledge it.

"A very lovely picture, Mr. Yugo," Satonaka told him. "However, you were supposed to write down notes on the Rococo movement before we could draw anything."

The teacher stood before Yugo's deck, but Yugo still focused on his art. His hands dashed across the page, and he could haphazardly toss a pencil to the side when he was done with it. He was pouring all of his focus on his art.

Until Yuzu grabbed his ear and pulled him right out of the chair.

With a yelp, Yugo jumped up and pulled himself out of the grasp. "Hey, who did that?! You want a punch to the face?!"

He turned to look at to side, to see an angry Yuzu with her hands on her hips. She leaned in and glared at him with her bright, fiery orange eyes.

"R-Rin?" he asked. Now his voice was much softer, and he was blushing. "Rin!"

Yugo reached out to hug his friend. However, he was met with a foot to the stomach. Pained, he fell backwards into his seat, and was met with laughter from the rest of the class.

"Yuzu said you were having trouble in class," Rin told him sternly. "Looks like it's my job to babysit you, again."

"Well, I wasn't doing anything wrong," Yugo grumbled. "This is art class, and I did art. How's that wrong?"

"You weren't listening to the teacher, and you were drawing whatever you wanted. You need to _Pay. Attention. In. Class._ "

"We don't even _need_ class, Rin! It's not fun!"

"It's not supposed to be fun!"

"Then why are we here?"

"We have to go to school!"

"No we don't, though!"

The class kept their eyes on the drama. Partly because seeing a couple fight in public was as entertaining as it was awkward. Mostly because it was a distraction that kept them from doing actual schoolwork.

"Yes, we do!" Rin snapped.

"This is stupid!" Yugo yelled. "Let's just skip!"

"What don't you get about 'we have to go to school?!'"

"You're not my mom, Rin! Stop acting like one!"

"I wouldn't have to if you didn't act like a child!"

Oh shit, this was excellent drama. There were whispers amongst the class; some were making jokes about their "troubled romance," while several others were talking amongst themselves about who was right here.

Sensing the tension, Miss Satonaka stepped in between the two kids. And the class was once again made aware of her presence. All eyes fell on her now.

"How about we stop arguing and start learning?" she told them. "Maybe Yugo will like what he learns about. And Yugo, your art really is good. I really like the, uh, red parts."

"The red represents things I lost in the war," Yugo told her. "Most of them came back to me, but I'll never forget Rin being taken... Or the time that jerk, Yuri killed me."

The teacher nodded solemnly. "I'm familiar with that pain. My fiance lost his parents during the war."

Yuzu turned to look at the teacher. "The Dimensional War?"

"Yes. My fiance's parents were killed by Academia, stomped to death by a Solid Vision monster."

"Oh, that sounds pretty cool," Yugo said muttered. "I want to draw that. I'm going to draw that."

"I really want you kids to learn about art," Satonaka sighed. "It can help you understand a person's feelings, or communicate in a way you can't through words. When I feel bad, that's the only way I can express how I feel."

Rin went back to her seat and folded her hands on her desk. She wanted to show the teacher that at least she was listening to her. "I can understand that. We can do the same, with dueling."

Miss Satonaka nodded again. "I really love teaching art most of all. You can understand people by what they make, because it's an expression of who they are. You can be as creative and fun as you want, and your feelings and ideas will reach people."

"That sounds so beautiful," Rin said, smiling. "I can't wait to learn more about art now, so I can do all that. And I'm sure Yugo feels the same. Right Yugo?"

Rin turned to Yugo. "Yugo?"

She didn't notice earlier, but Yugo had returned to drawing immediately after he last spoke. In her rage, Rin reached out her hand and forcefully grabbed at the sketchbook from under him.

"Hey, cut it out!"

Rin pulled the sketch book harder, and the book was lifted out of Yugo's hold. Pencils and crayons clattered to the floor.

"You need to pay attention, this class is impor... tant..."

Rin's eyes fell onto the picture. It was her, in her original body. A detailed, rather realistic portrait of her holding an half-drawn card. Wisps of red obscured parts of her body, and there were thin outlines of what appeared to be claws, coming from behind the scene to grab her. The claws were long and sharp, and circular orbs were attached behind them. Only one finger had been colored; it was a light shade of purple.

"Yugo..." Rin gasped. "Yugo, this is beautiful. I forgot how good of an artist you were."

 _"Riiiin!"_ Yugo whined. "We grew up together. I spent so long looking for you. I saved you from that tower! And you couldn't even remember something about me?"

Rin turned to him, looking rather annoyed and flustered. "He-hey, don't make me the bad guy here, you jerk!"

"You're the one who forgot my talent and took my book! Now give it back, it's not yours!"

"But the picture's _me_! I want to keep it."

"I don't care, I didn't finish it yet!"

"That doesn't matter! Besides, I need to hold on to it, so you won't keep drawing instead of listening."

To say that the rest of the art class was odd would be an understatement. Rin would continue to scold Yugo on his behavior, and Yugo would argue with her. Miss Satonaka would break up (or try to break up) their quarreling, only for the two to end up arguing once more. The class, however, was very much entertained by what they were seeing.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Miss Satonaka had met her fiancee shortly after the Dimensional Highway opened, which happened less than a month before this chapter. She moves faster than anyone in the Synchro Dimension, to be quite honest.**_

 _ **I was thinking about promoting my Twitter here, as a way for people to get instant notifications about the fic. But my Twitter's really shit; it's just all about muscular men, my online duels, and updates about my pets. I can't subject you guys to that kind of awful, boring torture. But I might make a Twitter for Yuri, which could also have updates for the fic. But I'm still thinking, since that would be a ton of work. What do you guys think?**_


	6. Scale 5: You Can (Not) Duel

_**A/N: This chapter, and the one(s) following will be less comedic than usual. I choreographed a whole duel, and that will be the thing I'll focus on. I know it's weird to have comedy take a back seat in a comedic story, but I also wanted to flesh out the stories and characters outside of humor.**_

 _ **With that all said, I hope you can still enjoy the Sawatari arc. And let me know which character you'd like to see get their own chapter sometime.**_

* * *

Yuya and Yuzu stood before the Leo Duel School, looking up to the enormous tower that loomed over them. Yuya's right hand held Yuzu's left: a subconscious move by their part. Together, they knew they could find what they were seeking.

Gongenzaka was also there.

Shingo Sawatari had been away from school for nearly a month. But only recently did they learn that left Maiami City Second. They didn't know where he lived, and they were unable to get ahold of Sawatari's father, nor Reiji. Sawatari's after-school duel school was the only lead they had.

The three stood around, watching as students entered and left the building. The three were instead waiting for someone important to meet them outside.

"How long will it take for her to get here?" Yuzu asked her friends.

"I hope she doesn't take too long," Yuya confessed. "I want to get this over with before Yuri finds out I'm not busy."

"Why?" Gongenzaka asked. He crossed his arms defensively. "What's he going to do?"

"He found out about this dimension's history and wants to share his fanfiction with us. He's working on it now."

"... I... What?" Yuzu asked.

"He's writing a story about him going back in time and taking over Germany during the second World War. He said it's about... Anne Frank and shipping her with the Doktor from Academia?"

"... I'm not sure how to respond to this," Gongenzaka said. "So I'm not going to."

" Yuto and Yugo have no way out of this one. So you can see why I want to stay out of my own head for a while."

"Yep."

"Yep," Yuzu agreed.

The doors to the building slowly slid open. Coming out backwards was Himika Akaba, wheeling a burgundy pram with her. Once fully outside, she turned herself around and walked the pram over to the kids.

"Thank you for letting us meet outside," Himika told them. "Reira loves being out in the fresh air."

"No problem, Miss Akaba," Yuya replied warmly. "Thank you for meeting with us."

"I'm sorry Reiji couldn't me here, either," Himika added. "He's been walled up in his lab, doing research."

"Research into what, exactly?" Yuzu asked.

"So you kids wanted to ask me about Sawatari?"

"Oh, yes!" Yuya said, nodding. "We haven't been able to get into contact Sawatari lately, and we wanted to know if he's still unrolled at LDS."

Himika paused. She turned to look down at her pram, to see her daughter's egao-ing face. She gently ran a hand through Reira's hair.

"Sawatari..." she said slowly. "Shingo's..."

The kids watched her curiously, waiting for her words.

"Shingo hasn't been in the best of spirits lately. He prefers to be alone, to be away from people."

The kids all frowned, and their eyes filled with surprise. Gongenzaka's jaw even dropped slightly.

"That doesn't sound like Sawatari at all," Yuzu said.

"Something's wrong, then," Yuya told her. "Miss Akaba, is Sawatari here now?"

Himika shook her head. "He still comes to school for classes, but he rarely stays when class ends. I can talk to him another day, but I think it should be up to him when he sees you."

"Miss Akaba, _please_ ," Yuya pleaded. "We're his friends, and we need to make sure he's okay."

"Shingo is okay, don't worry," Himika said sternly. "I'm watching over him. If he needs anyone else, he'll-"

"But that's wrong!" Yuya yelled.

"I know more about Shingo Sawatar's situation, Yuya. And if you respect Shingo's decisions, you will stay out of it for now."

"Of course we respect him!" Yuzu responded. "That's why we're here!"

"With all due respect, Miss Akaba," Gongenzaka added. "We're his friends, we fought in a war together. We risked our lives for each other."

"Right!" Yuya said. "We didn't get to spend that much time together, but we've built up a bond with him. We know him, and I think we can help."

Himika moved her hand from her daughter, then turned her attention back to the trio. She looked at them in silence for a moment as she silently contemplated on their words. The kids watched and waited for her response, even though each passing second made them more and more anxious for answers.

"If anyone can cheer him up, it's you, Yuya," Himika said finally. "You have a strange ability to make people happy."

Yuya egao'd widely. "You mean it? We can see him?"

"She's right, Yuya," Gongenzaka added. "You can make anyone egao."

Yuzu squeezed Yuya's hand tightly. "You've made everyone here egao, haven't you?"

Yuya blushed, then scratched the back of his head. He wasn't expecting all this attention now, though it was nice having it. "I-it's nothing, guys! We should be talking about Sawatari instead, hahaha..."

"Yes, Shingo could benefit from having you," Himika interjected. "He asked for privacy, and I wanted to grant him that. But if you really want to see him and help, I'll bring you to him."

"Thank you, Miss Akaba!" Yuzu and Yuya said simultaneously. And no, neither of them planned to talk in unison.

"But I can't guarantee he'll be willing to talk," Himika added. "You can probably help him, but it's up to him if he wants to talk about his secrets. I won't be revealing them for him."

Himika lifted a sharp finger towards the large, blue stadium across from the tower. It was the campus's own duel stadium. From the very top of the stadium, one could see the inkling of fireworks.

"Luckily for you, today he is one of the times he stays back to duel," Himika told them. "You'll find him at the stadium. But you'll have to hurtty and catch him before he leaves."

"Let's hurry up and find him," Yuya muttered to Yuzu. "If I stay quiet enough, I can hear Yuri read the others a sex scene."

* * *

Sawatari stood on one end of the field, his Duel Disk activated and held outwards. On either side of him were two large pillars of blue light, each holding a monster. The right held Abyss Actor - Funky Comedian, while the right held Abyss Actor - Evil Heel.

Abyss Actor - Superstar stood on his side of the field, stoic and staring at the opponent - another boy on the other side of the field, who had nothing on his field.

"Superstar!" Sawatari ordered. "Attack directly!"

It was right at this time that Yuya, Yuzu and Gongenzaka entered the stadium. They watched as Superstar glided across the field and struck the opponent's Disk with its hand. **(LP: 1300 → 0)** The force of the attack pushed him to the ground.

The duel was over. And with that, the Solid Vision holograms started to dissolve into sparkles, and the Duel Disks started to turn off.

"You can go now," Sawatari said to the boy.

The boy quickly slid the cards in his hand back to his deck. Then he rose from the ground and dashed towards the exit. He passed Yuya and his friends, but didn't acknowledge their presence as ran.

Sawatari's eyes followed the duelist as he left. Unlike him, his eyes caught the new arrivals as they walked into the stadium. He made his way towards them.

Sawatari looked a bit different from his usual look. He no longer wore the Maiami Second jacket, and his dress shirt's sleeves were rolled up past his elbow. Black sunglasses obscured his eyes.

"Sakaki, Hiragii, Gongen... Noboru, I guess," he said accusingly. "Why are _you guys_ (and one girl) here?"

"You left school, and we couldn't reach you," Yuzu said, speaking in a gentle tone. "We didn't know if you were alright or not."

"Sawatari, don't cut us out like that!" Yuya yelled.

"Why are you yelling?" Sawatari yelled back. "And I told Akaba that I didn't want to be bothered."

"But why?" Yuya asked. "Aren't we friends? We fought together; we saved the dimensions together."

Sawatari paused, then looked away from Yuya's gaze. He didn't want to bother responding to the boy's pleas.

"Sawatari, why won't you let us help you?" Yuzu asked.

"I don't need help!" Sawatari snapped. "Just leave me alone. I don't need help. I'm doing amazing right now, thank you."

"You're such a liar."

"You're such a bi-"

"You're a coward, Sawatari," Gongenzaka said simply.

A silence fell over the group. They all turned to look up at the man, Gongenzaka. He merely crossed his arms and looked back down on them.

"Something's wrong, and you're too scared to face it. So you hide from others, because you know we'll make you face your problems and overcome them."

Sawatari turned away from the group again. This time, he even started to walk away from them, towards the battlefield.

"Maybe you're right, Gong," he told them. "I know I'm weak."

"Why are you here, dueling?" Yuzu asked. "If you want to be alone, then why are you meeting with people and dueling."

"If you must know, I'm a duelist at heart" he told them. "Even if I want to be alone, the call to battle still yearns in my heart. When I can, I must sate that yearning."

Yuya nodded. "I understand that. So let's duel."

"... What?"

"Your heart wants to duel, so I'll duel you!" Yuya told him.

"I-I-I-I don't want to duel right now, that's all!"

"So you're backing away from a challenge? That doesn't sound like the Sawatari I know."

Sawatari stopped walking. He didn't turn around to face them, but he stood and waited for Yuya to keep talking.

"So you'll accept, right?" Yuya asked. "How about you pick the field we fight on?"

"An Action Duel?" Sawatari mused. "I haven't had an an Action Duel in a while... Because I don't duel to entertain others."

"You're an entertainer at heart, we both are. If you want us both to do our best, it's only right that we have the means to do it."

Sawatari rubbed his chin. "Yes, I suppose you're right. My biggest strength _has_ been my unerring charisma, after all."

Sawatari started walking towards the field once more. "You will see the fruits of my training. You will have to use all of your strength to fight me. You will have to try and overcome the Black Fallen Lord, Sawatari."

Yuya let go of Yuzu's hands. He and Sawatari both made their way to the battlefield, while Yuzu and Gongenzaka made their way to the sidelines.

* * *

Both Sawatari and Yuya stood in the middle of the field, facing each other. Their Duel Disks were turned on, and the Disks' blades were extended.

Sawatari's Duel Disk spoke: _"FIELD SPELL: VAMPIRE KINGDOM, ACTIVATE."_

Wth a snap of Sawatari's fingers, the field started to sparkle and slow. Large, gray buildings of various sizes rose from the ground around them. Brick roads, started to form from underneath the boys' feet, extending outwards throughout the town. Surrounding the town were enormous, metal walls with spikes, held together by chains.

A tree-covered hill seemed to rise from the distance, and a road slowly slithered up to form a path. A white, cathedral-like castle started to sparkle into existence at the end of the road. It cast an oppressive shadow over the city.

A roof appeared on the ground, and Sawatari ran forward. He jumped onto the roof, and a large building started to form from under it. Sawatari rode the roof up into the air. Soon, he was on top of a three story house and looking down at Yuya.

Finally, the sky went dark. The field had generated an artificial night sky, complete with heavy clouds and blood-red moon. And an orb, filled with floating cards hung over the field.

"Duelists locked in battle!" Yuya announced.

"Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters," Sawatari added, albeit with much less unthusiasm.

"They storm through this fiel- Yuri, shut up with the fanfic and let me do this!"

"Behold. This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling."

"Action!" Yuzu and Gongenzaka cried out.

 _ **"DUEL!"**_

* * *

Once the orb of cards shattered, cards went flying across the field.

"I'll go first," Yuya said to his opponent.

Yuya looked over his hand: Performapal Monkeyboard, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, Performapal Odd-Eyes Unicorn, Performapal Silver Claw, and Harmonizing Magician. Immediately, his mind worked on forming a strategy with his hand.

 _Oh, Yuya?_ Yuri's voice called out to him. _You're having fun instead of listening to my story?_

 _Enough with the fanfiction for now,_ Yuri responded. _I need to concentrate on this duel. And I'll be calling our dragon._

 _Eh? Good. Starving Venom craves battle. I'll be watching to make sure he has fun._

Time to focus back on the duel. Yuya raised Monkeyboard and Unicorn up for Sawatari to see.

"With my Scale 1 Performapal Monkeyboard, and my Scale 8 Performapal Odd-Eyes Unicorn, I set the Pendulum Scales."

Yuya placed the cards on his Pendulum Zones. The columns of blue light appeared on either side of him, along with either monster. Monkeyboard appeared to Yuya's right, with a number 1 underneath it. Unicorn appeared to Yuya's left, with the number 8 beneath it.

"With this, I can Summon monsters with Levels 2 through 7," Yuya announced. "And thanks to Monkeyboard's Pendulum Effect, if it was activated this turn: You can add 1 Level 4 or lower _Performapal_ monster from my deck to my hand."

Yuya placed a hand beside his deck. A card slid out from the stack of cards, which Yuya grabbed and put into his hand. The Duel Disk then automatically shuffled the deck.

"Swing, pendulum of souls! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Let's go, my monster friends!"

A swirling pendulum swayed circles in the sky. From within the center of that circle, four lights fell to the ground. They took the forms of Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, Performapal Silver Claw, Performapal U Go Golem, and Harmonizing Magician, all in attack mode.

"When Harmonizing Magician is Pendulum Summoned from my hand, I can special summon a _Magician_ Pendulum monster from my deck. However, the monster is banished when it leaves the field."

An empty spot on Yuya's field, right next to Harmonizing Magician, started to glow. Timebeaker rose from the ground, his sword hoisted over his right shoulder.

"A field full of weak monsters?" Sawatari called. "I want to win, but don't you dare go easy on me, Sakaki!"

 _Yuri, together now._

Yuya pointed to his Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, a wild grin appearing on both of their faces.

"When Performapal U Go Golem is Pendulum Summoned, I can Fusion Summon a Fusion monster, using it and a Dragon-type monster I control."

Odd-Eyes and U Go Golem both leapt into the air. Their bodies contorted and swirled together, and the swirling colors of Fusion appeared around them.

"Dragon with dual colored eyes! Become one with the giant born from soil and give birth to a new ally! Fusion Summon!"

From the swirling vortex came the fearsome dragon. Starving Venom clawed out of the swirls, and the mouths over its body ripped at the vortex until it was shredded into pieces.

"Come Forth!" Yuya announced. "Level 8, Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!"

The dragon landed on the field and gave out a fearsome, mighty roar to all those who opposed it.

Sawatari bit his lip. He glanced over the five cards in his hand, desperately trying to form a strategy with what he had on him. So far, he couldn't see anything in his hand that would be able to fight off this beast.

"I'm not done," Yuya added. "I tune my Level 3 Timebreaker Magician with my Level 4 Harmonizing Magician!"

Harmonizing Magician floated above the field. Her body dissolved into four green circles, floating and spinning before each other. Timebreaker leapt into the circles, and his body broke into three orbs of light.

"Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings, and strike down your enemies at the speed of light! Synchro Summon! Appear now! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

The rings and orbs joined together, taking the shape of a new form. Descending to the field was a white dragon, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon.

Sawtari looked down at Yuya's field: Starving Venom Fusion Dragon, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, and Performapal Silver Claw.

"What's the matter?" he sneered. "Couldn't bring out your final dragon? After all that, you couldn't keep up the thrills?"

"We'll see about that," Yuya said with a egao.

Yuya leaped forward, jumping onto the back of Clear Wing. He stood on its tail and clung to the dragon's back, on a spot between its wings.

And with that, Clear Wing took off into the sky with Yuya, flying above the houses of the kingdom, above Sawatari and the other monsters.

Yuya looked down at his opponent. "I know this field, too. And I know there's an Action Card this field generates; it can help me."

Clear Wing dashed across the town. Both it and its master scanned the roofs and streets for any signs of the card, while Silver Claw ran down the narrow streets to aid them. Starving Venom, meanwhile, dug its claws into Sawatari's building and started to climb up.

At least, Yuya spotted a card, nestled at the edge of a sloped roof. He leaped down from Clear Wing's back and landed on the roof, then slid down the side to grab the card.

"I got it!" he cried out. "Action Card - Vampiric Thralls activate!"

Yuya slid off the roof, and Clear Wing dove down to meet him. Yuya slapped the Action Card onto his Disk and fell into the dragon's waiting arms.

A dark cloud appeared beside the duo. The mist poured itself into the mold of a large vampire bat. Its body started to split and form two bats, and those two went on to split further.

Yuya and Clear Wing floated back up to the sky, the bats in tow.

"When Vampire Thralls is activated, it becomes a monster. Its Attack, Defense and Level are determined by how many Life Points I give up. 100 Life Points is one level, and 400 Life Points is four Levels."

 **(Yuya: 4000 → 3600)**

"I overlay my Level for Vampire Thralls and Performapal Silver Claw!"

The four bats flew down towards the ground, towards Silver Claw. Silver Claw in turn stopped running and lunged towards them. And once all their bodies collided, they transformed into wisps of light.

Sawatari looked on at the distance in horror. Yuya was about five houses away, but he could see the swirling black hole form behind him. The wisps of his monsters traveled into the black hole.

"Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs!" Yuya cried. "Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"

The vortex broke apart, and a black dragon floated into the air. Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon took is place beside Yuya and Clear Wing.

"I end my turn," Yuya said finally. "Sawatari, prove that you can beat this field. I believe in you."

 **Yuya's hand was empty, and his Life Points were at 3600. His field consisted of his two Pendulum Scales, Starving Venom, Clear Wing, and Dark Rebellion.**

* * *

 _You're holding back on him, aren't you?_ Yuto's voice called out. _Why would you call out Dark Rebellion now? It would make more sense to wait until he brngs out a monster, so we could use Dark Rebellion's effect._

 _Sawatari said something,_ Yuya thought. _Earlier, he said that he 'knew he was weak.' I need to take things slow and get him comfortbale enough to let loose._

 _If you use our full power, we would end the duel before we can fully understand him. This way, Yuya, you're luring him out._

 _I don't think he would have fun if we defeated him quickly. He's a showman, and he'll try to meet our show and make himself shine if we let him. We need to get him in the mood to do that._

 _So you're making a show of having a big field, but it's not as dangerous as Sawatari thinks._ Yuto appeared beside him, giving Yuya a small nod. _That's good thinking, Yuya. I'll be here to support you and Dark Rebellion. Now go and help Sawatari._

"I decided: I'm going to find why you've closed your heart," Yuya said. "Sawatari, one way or another, I will bring your egao back."

* * *

 _ **A/N: You might notice that some cards will have their OCG/TCG effects, even though this is an anime-based fanfic. This isn't an oversight on my part. I decided that, in this fanfic, a lot of cards were altered after the worlds were rebooted after Zarc's defeat. The Pendulum Dimension, having changed the most, had the most cards changed. I did this because I felt that it would be less confusing for those who follow (or want to follow) the actual card game, and the reboot allowed their usage to be feasible.**_

 _ **Cards that had their effects used after the retcon can be fudged a bit** **if** **this doesn't contradict canon. For example: Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon doesn't need to attack monsters that are Level 5+ to gain its effect in the OCG/TCG. Post-Zarc, he has this effect, even if it hadn't been used on a monster below level 5 since Zarc.**_

 _ **"But what if Yuya specifically stated that Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's effect involves a level 5 or higher monster, post-Zarc?" you ask. Well, don't ask. Just ignore that. Maybe Yuya was so used to reading the card's old effect, that he didn't notice it at the time. I don't know. Use your imagination or whatever.**_

 _ **And despite me using Japanese names instead of dub names for the characters, I'll be using English names for the cards. Again, this is to make following duels easier for those familiar with the card game. Plus they can be more easily looked up. In-universe, they have their original Japanese names. This is just for your convenience and mine.**_


	7. Scale 6: You Can (Not) Attack

_**Fun Fact: The other Yu boys each get one hour of internet a day, more or less. Yugo watches his shows, Yuri gets into Twitter wars, and Yuto chats with Ruri. Yuto also looks into conspiracy theories, and has quite a few of his own.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: Yuya and Sawatari continue their duel. While Sawatari tries his hardest to win, Yuya tries his hardest to understand Sawatari's pain.**_

* * *

"My turn! Draw!"

Sawatari drew a card from his deck. He glanced at it, and his eyes widened in surprise. Wa it fate to have drawn this card?

 _This is it, Shingo,_ Sawtari thought as he looked at his cards. _Lady Luck has given me a chance to style all over Yuya, once and for all._

"Sakaki!" he called out. "I haven't just been slacking this past month. I've been training really hard! And now... you'll see my... You'll see my..."

Crap, he didn't think this speech out.

"I'm going to win!"

Freaking _saved it._

"With my Scale 2 Abyss Actor - Wild Hope, and my Scale 8 Abyss Actor - Funky Commedian, I set the Pendulum Scales!"

Sawatari placed the cards on either end of his Disk's blade, and the monsters appeared in blue columns of light on either side of him - Wild Hope on his right, and Funky Commedian on his left.

"With these Scales, I can summon monsters Level 3 through 7. So I Pendulum Summon!"

Sawatari raised a finger to the sky, towards the circling pendulum above. Three lights rained down to the field, turning into three Abyss Actors: Sassy Rookie, Leading Lady, and Twinkle Littlestar.

"Next, I summon a monster from my hand," Sawatari continued. "Level 1! Tuning Gum!"

Sawatari placed another card on his blade. A floating pack of gum materialized before him. One stick slid slightly out of the back, and the wrapping around it started to unfold itself. A thick, goopy blog of pale-green gum slithered upwards and floated above the pack.

The gum's body changed, making it look like a grotesque, skeletal face. It gave the crowd a fiendish egao and laughed.

* * *

"Tuning?" Gongenzaka repeated.

"What?" Yuzu asked. "Does that mean...?"

"It could be that Sawatari was busy all this time, training his mind and deck to master Synchro Summon."

"So he was away just to train?"

Gongenzaka shook his head. "I don't think so, Yuzu. That can't be everything. It still wouldn't explain why he was so aggressive, or why he hid it from us."

* * *

"Eh? You can Synchro Summon too now?" Yuya called out. "Come on! Do it, Sawatari! I wanna see!"

"Well, I can't disappoint my fans!" Sawatari said proudly.

But then he paused, then bit his lip again. He shoudn't have been so proud then. Not in front of Yuya, of all people. He was the reason why...

Sawatari snapped his fingers. "I activate Tuning Gum's effect: Fresh Tune Breath!"

The grisly gum opened its mouth. It hocked a huge, geen loogie at the monster by its side, Leading Lady. The goop landed on the monster's cheek, causing her to look at Tuning Gum in absolute, disgusted horror.

"Tuning Gum can turn one other monster into a Tuner monster," Sawatari explained. "But only Synchro monsters can attack this turn."

"You have two Tuners, and two non-Tuners," Yuya said. "That condition's not going to matter soon."

"That's right, Sakaki. I tune my Level 4 Sassy Rookie with my Level 1 Tuning Gum!"

Tuning Gum's body and pack extended and shaped itself into a disgusting, dripping green ring. Sassy Rookie jumped into the ring, turning into four orbs of light.

"Twin-headed Fiend that prowls the roads. Behold, this is the power of authority! Synchro Summon! Level 5! Stygian Sergeants, get in the spotlight!"

The rings and orbs joined together, giving birth to something entirely new. A a demonic, two-headed monster appeared on the field, riding a motorcycle with flashing lights. **(ATK 2200)**

"The first act's not done!" Sawatari announced. "Now I tune my Level 4 Twinkle Littlestar with my Level 4 Leading lady!"

Second verse, same as the first. Leading Lady's body wave way to four green rings. Twinkle Littlestar jumped into the ring and turned into four balls of light.

"One born from the darkness of the heart, come forth at the price of a good soul! Synchro Summon! Level 8! Blood Mephist, take to the stage!"

The circles and rings descended back to the field. Rising up from them was a green-skinned phantom in tattered clothes and a top hat. Its lower body had no legs, but rather a long train of mist. Blood Mefist held up his cane and pointed it straight at the enemies. **(ATK 2800)**

"Battle! Blood Mefist attacks your Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

Sawatari grabbed hold of his monster's hand, and the two floated across the rooftops at a surprising speed.

In turn, Yuya and Clear Wing turned away from them, and Dark Rebellion joined them. The three of them flew through the air and over the rooftops at a quick pace. Dark Rebellion lagged behind Yuya and Clear Wing, showing that it wasn't built for speed quite like the other dragon.

"If you want to attack, you have to catch me!" Yuya laughed.

Yuya turned his head back to watch Sawatari. Both he and his monster were closing the distance between them. But most importantly, he spotted the vague, rectangular outline sicking out from the eaves of a roof.

"Clear Wing!" Yuya said to his ride. "We need to go back, grab that Action Card."

Clear Wing started to slow down, though it seemd to struggle with having to suddenly change its course. The dragon slowly turned its body around to face the opponents directly. And then it charged forward, toward the card.

Yuya climbed up Clear Wing's back. He pressed one hand down on Clear Wing to help steer it, while his right hand reached out. They closed in on the house and flew towards the eaves.

Just as they were in range of the card, Yuya took a swipe at the card. But a painful smack to his wrist knocked him back.

Blood Mefist floated before him, raising his cane to smack Yuya again. Sawatari loosened his monsters hold on him and jumped to the roof. He knelt down and grabbed the card from the eaves.

"Too slow, Sakaki," Sawatari said. "Blood Mefist, attack Clear Wing now!"

Yuya and Clear Wing turned around and flew higher into the air. But they weren't able to outrun Mefist again; the monster extended out its cane and smashed it onto the side of Clear Wing. Yuya was thrown off, and he could only watch as his dragon was destroyed.

 **(Yuya: 3600 → 3300)**

But luckily for Yuya, Dark Rebellion was behind him. It opened its arms and caught Yuya in a bridal carry, saving him from a dangerous fall.

Yuya straightened himself out. His head was pounding from the throttle, but he was tarting to gain his composure. He looked at Sawatari and his monter, and to the monster hopping on roof tops behind them. Starving Venom, it was coming to join him!

 _Starving Venom doesn't like being left out of the fun,_ Yuri said. _Stygian Sergeants is weak, so he won't be able to destroy it._

 _But we can't just beat him next turn,_ Yuya told him. _We need to stall until Sawatari can-_

 _So he can win? Yuya, I don't want my dragon to lose for your little game. It's unddignified, and a disrespect to my talent as a duelist._

"Sakaki!" Sawatari called out.

Yuya blinked, then turned his focus back on Sawatari. "O-oh, yes! I'm listening!"

"My turn isn't over yet," Sawatari said. He placed a card in his hand on his blade. "I use Action Card - Cloak Dagger on Stygian Sergeants!"

Stygian Sergeants came riding, bouncing from rooftop to rooftop on its motorcycle. They landed on the same roof Sawatari stood on. They started to glow a bright red, and a small dagger appeared in the mouth of their right head. **(ATK 2200 → 2700)**

"Cloak Dagger boosts my monster's attack by 500 points, until the end of the turn," Sawatari explained. "Yuya, I'm going to overcome your dragons this time. I refuse to lose!"

 _Losing._

Yuya's eyes widened. It was as if pieces of a complex puzzle started to fall into place. Now he could start to see the bigger issue right now.

But an attack was imminent, and he didn't have time to waste. Yuya and Dark Rebellion flew away from the fight to search for another Action Card.

This time, Sawatari struck first. The wheels of the motorcycle dug into Dark Rebellion's back. The dragon was weight down by Stygian Sergeants and their motorcycle, forcing it onto a flat rooftop. Yuya jumped from its grasp and rolled onto the roof, just in time to watch Dark Rebellion be destroyed before his eyes.

 **(Yuya: 3300 → 3100)**

"Two dragons down, one to go," Sawatari mused. He was now standing on a rooftop across the street, glaring daggers at Yuya. "And when Stygian Sergeants destroys a monster and sends it to the Graveyard, it gains 800 Attack Points and can make a second attack." **(ATK 2700 → 3500)**

"Wait, before you attack!" Yuya called out. "I want to know, how did you learn to Synchro Summon? You couldn't do that earlier, even after Zarc's defeat."

The Black Fallen Lord Sawatari put an outstretched hand to his face, covering the right side of his face. If nothing else, it seemed like a dramatic and mysterious move to use.

"That's right, Sakaki," he explained. "At first, when I didn't know about the war, I was content with what I had. But when our memories returned, I remembered everything."

Sawatari turned away, dramatically pulling off his sunglasses. "I remembered Crow's sacrifice to protect me from the Battle Beast. I remembered how I and him fought you together. He did so much for me, and with me..."

"So you learned to Synchro Summon in honor of him," Yuya finished.

"Don't interrupt!" he snapped. "But yes. I transferred out of our regular school and devoted my free time to training. I only stayed in LDS to learn as much as I could about Synchro Summoning, which I'd then use whenever I could."

"But that's not all, is it?"

"... What do you mean?"

Yuya held out his hands. "If you were training, I know you'd come and show us your progress. You'd run up and challenge me to a duel the second you could Synchro Summon."

Sawatari looked back to him curiously.

"But this isn't just about training, it it?" Yuya continued. "You cut yourself off for a reason. You're in pain, but you won't tell us why. But we understand you, Sawatari! Let us in!"

"WRONG!" Sawatari roared. "That's the point! You _don't_ understand! You _never_ can!"

Sawatari tightened his fist, squeezing his glasses. He pointed a finger accusingly at Yuya. " _You_ stopped Yuri! _You_ brought peace to the City! _You_ saved Heartland! _You_ made people egao! It was all _you, you, you!_ "

Yuya's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. His hands slowly fell back to his sides. He was left staring at Sawatari like a deer caught in the headlights.

"You could never understand, Sakaki," Sawatari growled. "I could never be as good as you. AS Akaba, or Kurosaki, or Gongen... Okay, not him. Not all of us can be winners."

From the audience, Gongenzaka frowned. He was frowning so hard that one would pracically _hear_ it.

"But I lost. All I did was lose," Sawatari continued. "I wasn't a hero, like you guys."

"That's not true, Shingo," Yuya said softly. "You fought off Security in the Synchro Dimension. You helped to defeat the Obelisk Force in the Xyz Dimension-"

"I was clean-up duty," Sawatari hissed. "I wanted to be a superstar. I wanted to be a hero, like you. I wanted to protect my city, and my dad."

"You were the one who was able to push through Zarc. If it wasn't for you, we might not have been able to defeat-"

"Enough platitudes!" Sawatari shrieked. "Stygian Sergeants, attack Sakaki's Starving Venom!"

The Sergeants revved up their motorcycle and turned themselves around. They drove off the roof and rode through the air.

Yuya's skates sprung to life, and the sidewheels glowed and whirred. He jumped from the roof and landed his feet on the side of the closest building, then started to skate down the wall and onto the street. He rode through the roads and off to the distance.

Its front lights shone bright, though their color was tained by the glow of the red moon. But the moment Starving Venom was spotted in their light, the Sergeants had the dragon in their sights. They bounced from rooftop to rooftop, heading towards the dragon.

But Starving Venom wasn't one to back down. It jumped towards the fiend an open mouth and bared claws. Though the tide was against it, the dragon reveled in the thrill of battle.

Stygian Sergeants ran its bike right into the center of the dragon. Starving Venom claws caught the tire that pressed against its abdomen. Its mouth bit down on the front lights, which started to crack and flicker from the pressure.

But the power of the motorcycle overcame the dragon. It pushed on through Starving Venom's grasp and drove right through its body, destroying it.

 _"Action Card - Cloak Dagger!"_

Sawatari turned his head toward the direction of the voice. He looked down at his Duel Disk's screen and saw a display of the field: a Spell Card was placed on Yuya's Spell/Trap Zone, and Starving Venom's attack was raised. **(ATK: 2800 → 3300)**

Sawatari looked around once more, finally spotting Yuya as he came skating through the roads towards him.

 **(Yuya: 3100 → 2900)**

"I should have known you'd go for an Action Card, Sakaki!" Sawatari yelled out. "But your field is empty now. What are you going to do now?"

"Starving Venom's effect activates!" Yuya announced. "When it's destroyed, I can destroy all Special Summoned monsters my opponent controls."

 _My dragon will still feed,_ Yuri said.

Sawatari turned and looked around his roof. His eyes furiously scanned the area for an Action Card, something to help him out of this situation. If he let his field be cleared, he'd be open for a direct attack next turn.

No, he couldn't lose. Not again.

Wait, there! Dangling off the side of the next roof over was an Action Card. Sawatari ran towards the edge of his roof. He leaped off the edge and jumped onto the flat roof below him, landing flat on his face.

But then he rose up, dashed over to the card and picked it up! "Action Card - Invisibility!"

From the ground around them, the transparent, clawed hands of Starving Venom rose up to grab hold of Sawatari's monsters. The hold grew tight, and the monsters groaned in pain.

Blood Mefist's body was pulled down into the ground, destroying it. But the Stygian Sergeants' body turns transparent, and it slipped through the hand's grasp. Starving Venom's hand slowly retreated into the ground without its prize.

"The Battle Phase is over, and my monster's attack returns to normal," Sawatari announced. "And the effect of Cloak Dagger wears off." **(ATK 3500 → 2200)**

"I..." Sawatari bit his lip again. "I end my turn, for now."

Sawatari's turn was over. His hand was empty, and his field consisted of his two Pendulum Scales, and Stygian Sergeants. His Life Points remained untouched, at 4000.

* * *

Now it was Yuya's turn. He drew a card from his deck, and added it to his hand. Though honestly, being the only card in his hand, it seemed rather lonely to him.

He paused and thought about his choices. Between all his cards, he would be able to win that turn. Which went against his plans. He had to play it slow and keep the match drawn out.

 _You're not going to win this turn, are you?_ Yuto asked.

 _Of course not,_ Yuri sighed. _If he does, little Shingo will have his little feelings hurt. And Yuya wouldn't let that happen._

 _Yuya, you need to push through and win!_ Yugo yelled. _A real man doesn't go easy. And if you really respect your opponent, you go hard!_

 _Yuya doesn't respect people!_ Yuri cackled. _He entertains them! Do you honestly think he cares about them?_

"What do you mean, Yuri?" Yuya growled.

 _Isn't it obvious? You only came to help Sawatari because you like being a hero. No wonder he hates you!_

"Shut up, Yuri!" Yuya snapped. "You don't understand-"

"Stop talking to yourself, Sakaki!" Sawatari called out. "It's creepy and weird!"

 _Yuya, tell Sawatari that it's not as weird as his disfigured face,_ Yuri said.

"My move, Sawatari!" Yuya announced. "With the Pendulum Scales I've already set, I'll Pendulum Summon!"

 _No, Yuya. Tell him what I said._

"Pendulum Summon! Let's go, my monster friends!"

From the swirling Pendulum in the sky came two lights, which shot down to the field. Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Performapal U Go Golem appeared before Yuya.

Yuya looked up at the roof above him. Sawatari knelt down, disappearing from Yuya's field of vision.

"I found an Action Card!" Sawatari shouted. "Action Card - Vampiric Drain!"

A shiver ran down Yuya's spine. He could feel a cold, foreboding presence around his body. A small stabbing sensation could be felt at the base of his neck, near his left shoulder.

 **(Yuya: 2900 → 2500)**

"Vampiric Drain sucks the life out of you," Sawatari continued. "And I gain 200 Life Points for it."

 **(Sawatari: 4000 → 4200)**

The oppressive presence left Yuya. Not that Yuya cared much; he couldn't help but egao at Sawatari's maneuver.

 _Hey, Sawatari's doing pretty good!_ Yugo said. _Yuya, he's trying his hardest. You should do the same._

 _I don't know if that's right,_ Yuya admitted. _Let's just let the match play out for a little longer._

 _I don't think that's right..._

"Battle Phase!" Yuya announced. "Odd-Eyes attacks your Stygian Sergeants! But first..."

Yuya pointed a finger to his Odd-Eyes Unicorn. The monster's horn let out a soft glow, and an array of stars poured from its tip. They fell to the field below, coating both Odd-Eyes and U Go Golem in stars and sparkles.

"Odd-Eyes Unicorn's effect: "When an _Odd-Eyes_ monster declares an attack, I can target a _Performapal_ monster I control, and _Odd-Eyes_ gains that monter's original ATK power. So Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon gains U Go Golem's original ATK."

Sawatari was biting his lip harder now, watching in horror as Odd-Eyes Penndulum Dragon started to glow bright. The stars on U Go Golem's body rose up and drifted around Odd-Eyes's body, like a ring around Saturn. **(ATK 2500 → 4100)**

"Now, continue the attack!" Yuya ordered. "Spiral Strike Burst!"

"Tch!" Sawatari tch'd. "That would be... Uh..."

Okay, he wasn't so good at math. But he knew that 4100 ATK would hurt him bad, especially when its effect meant that battle damage was doubled. Would it be enough to make him lose? He wasn't going to wait or do the math to find out.

"Odd-Eyes," Yuya whispered to his dragon. "Hold off on the attack for a moment - give Sawatari some time to run."

The dragon let out a small, deep roar. Yuya knew this roar as one of understanding; Odd-Eyes' heart resonated with him, and he could tell that the dragon approved of his plan.

"Thank you, Odd-Eyes," Yuya said softly.

Time to take off. Sawatari rose back up and started to run. He leaped from his roof and jumped towards the house next door: a house with a sloped roof that was one story higher. He was able to grab hold of the ends of the roof, then groaned as he tried to pull his body up.

"Just need to get-"

His hand grasped slipped from the roof, and he started to fall down. He let out a screeching yell as he fell down several feet.

* * *

 _ **A/N: The battle should be over in Scale 7 or 8. And we're about halfway done with the Scales in general. Scale 13 will mark the end of the story's first volume.**_

 _ **If I'm not lazy enough to end the fic there, the story will go in a new direction. You could say that it will go on to take on a new dimension.**_

 _ **Get it? Dimension pun.**_


	8. Scale 7: You Can (Not) Still Take Damage

_**Fun Fact: Eva Braun does not exist in Yuri's fanfiction. She has been completely left out, and certain roles have been taken over by Yuri's self-insert.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: The duel with Sawatari heads towards the climax. Yuya's crusade rages on, but someone's intervention threatens to change the course of the fight.**_

* * *

Sawatari was alive. He had grabbed on to one of the window wills of the house's second story.

He looked down to see his feet as they dangled several feet above the ground. The street below was solid brick; even if the Action Duel fields were often softer than the real thing, it would have been a very, very bad fall from several storys.

Sawatari sighed. And now that he has time to relax, he felt something under his right hand... A card. Wait, a card? An Action Card!

Sawatari grabbed the card, then quickly pressed it onto his Duel Disk's blade.

"Action Card - Miracle!" he screamed. Yuya was waiting for this. He waited for Sawatari to move before he really commenced with his attack. "Now, Odd-Eyes."

Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon opened its mouth. A spinning vortex of flame spun out from its mouth and flew across the field. It engulfed Stygian Sergeants in a sea of flames.

"When Odd-Eyes battles a monster, battle damage you take is doubled."

"My monster isn't destroyed, and I only take half the damage!" Sawatari cried out. "The Black Fallen Lord, Sawatari saved it, yet again!"

Odd-Eyes closed its mouth, and the flames arounds the Sergeants faded. Sawatari's monster remained on the field, burnt and charred and still alive.

 **(Sawatari: 4200** **2300)**

 _Hope it was worth it, Yuya,_ Yuri grumbled. _If you didn't give him time to get that card, we could have won by now. Shake my head, fam._

 _Yuya, I don't think we're doing the right thing,_ Yuto added.

"I end my turn," Yuya sighed. "Sawatari, I'm Sawa-sorry I couldn't win this turn. But I'll try and finish you off next turn, so be ready!"

"Don't you dare take pity on me," Sawatari hissed. "And stop going easy on me! This is a duel, and we're dueling."

Yuya ended the turn with one card in his hand and 2500 Life Points. On his field were his Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and U Go Golem, both in attack mode, and his two Pendulum Scales.

"I want to beat you, Sakaki," Sawatari grumbled. "But I won't want to beat you when you're going easy on me. Draw!"

Sawatari drew a card. Just like Yuya, the card his drew felt a little lonesome without anyone by its side. But that wasn't Sawatari's concern now.

Wait crap, this card wasn't a Tuner like he had hoped for. He was hoping to pull out a much stronger Synchro monster, but that wouldn't be happening this turn. Oh well.

"But a victory is a victory, I guess."

He jumped down from the windowsill, landing on his feet and one of his hands. He dashed to his right and turned a corner, so he was now in an open street. Yuya himself was on the other end, looking back at him curiously.

Sawatari snapped his finger and pointed upward. "Abyss Actor - Wild Hope's effect activates! Abyss Actor - Funky Comedian's Scale raises to 9!"

Funky Comedian, floating in a column of light beside Sawatari, let out a long, belly-jiggling giggle. The number underneath it increased from eight, to nine.

"With my set Pendulum Scales, I'll Pendulum Summon! Monsters, join me on the stage!"

Frin the Pendulum's circle above, four bright lights fell to the field. They landed before Sawatari, becoming a whole team of Abyss Actors - Twinkle Littlestar, Sassy Rookie, Leading Lady, and Evil Heel.

"Monster effect, activate!" Sawatari exclaimed excitedly. "When Evil Heel is summoned, I can target one of your monsters; that monster loses 1000 ATK for each _Abyss Actor_ monster I control. And I target Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

Evil Heel held up its hands and opened its mouth, and a dark aura emanated from Odd-Eyes's body. The shadows extended out towards Evil Heel, who greedily chomped down on them. More and more of the shadow left Odd-Eyes's body and entered Evil Heel's mouth.

 **(ATK 2500 → 0)**

 _Good job, Yuya!_ Yuri said warmly. _You didn't solve Sawatari's problems,_ and _you're going to lose!_

 _I'll find a way out of this, Yuri._

Before Sawatari could say any more, Yuya took a sharp turn left, down a small alley. Trailing behind him were his monsters, following him in a little line lead by Odd-Eyes.

"Don't let him get away!" Sawatari called out. "After them, Evil Heel!"

Evil Heel brought a hand to the ground, allowing his duelist to step on and climb aboard. WIth Sawatary holding tight to him Evil Heel rose up and made a mad dash for the enemies. The other Abyss Actors followed the leader on this one, happily trailing behind them.

Yuya skated down the street, past all the gray and lifeless houses. The castle on the hill was a short distance away, casting a forboding shadow over them. It made the feeling of his impending doom much more apparent.

"Come on..." Yuya muttered. "Action Card, Action Card... Where are they?"

There! From the corner of his eye, Yuya could make out a card. It was tucked halfway underneath a house's door a couple of feet away. It was partially masked by the shadows, but he was able to make it out.

"There they are!" Sawatari called. "Get Odd-Eyes!"

Yuya skated forward and dove towards the card. His body slammed onto the ground beside it. He reached out and picked it up, then placed it on his Duel Disk's blade.

"Action Card - Evasion!" Yuya called out. "Evil Heel's attack is negated!"

Sawatari egao-d for a moment. He looked down at Yuya on the floor, and the monsters around him. Now he had his former rival cornered - literally - and at his mercy. And what's better, his rival wasn't letting him take the win without a struggle.

"That was a good move, Sakaki," Sawatari said. "So I guess you'll survive this turn... Probably."

 _Crap._ He forgot he was bad with math.

"Leading Lady attacks Odd-Eyes," Sawatari continued.

 _Yuya!_ Yugo's voice called out from deep within.

"Yugo?" Yuya mumbled. "What is it?"

 _You did your job, Yuya. You made him egao. But I think I can help him._

 _Alright, Yugo. I'm going to trust you with this._

Abyss Actor - Leading Lady extended a hand out before her. It cast out her whip, and the ropes extended across the field to ensnare Odd-Eyes. Once they hit its neck, the roped tightened around it. Odd-Eyes was left roaring in pain as the monster forcibly strangled the life out of him. It wasn't long before Odd-Eyes was destroyed.

 **(Yuya 2500 → 1000)**

Amidst Odd-Eyes's destruction, Yugo rose up from the ground. His blue eyes looked beyond the monsters on the field and stared deeply at Saw- Oh hey, what was that on that wall?

Yuya missed that Action Card. Since he was running straight forward, he missed the card that was stuck against a wall of a house. But worryingly, it was on the building to Sawatari's left.

Yugo made a beeline for the card, skating right passed Performapal U Go Golem. This was just as Sassy Rookie jumped upon the golem and pushed it to the ground. Once the golem fell, it was destroyed.

 **(Yugo 1000 → 900)**

"H-hey, where you going?!" Sawatari yelled. "Sakaki? What are you doing?"

Sawatari's eyes turned to where his opponent was going. He could see it, an Action Card. He squickly dashed towards it with his hands outstretched.

Yugo ran right to the wall. Like, he crashed face-first into the wall. But his face slammed into the card before Sawatari could reach it.

Yugo pushed his face from the wall, only to find his vision blocked by the Action Card. He quickly grabbed hold of the card and slammed it onto his Disk's blade.

"Ughgh... A-Action Magic - Vampiric... Yeah, whatever," Yugo groaned weakly. "You lose 400 Life Points..."

Sawatari could feel a cold, oppresive force around him. He instinctively covered his neck with his hands, but he could feel a slight, stinging pressure on it.

 **(Sawatari 2300 → 1900)**

"... And I gain 200,"Yugo concluded.

 **(Yugo 900 → 1100)**

Sawatari bit hit lip. But he couldn't help but smirk a little at that clutch move. Guess he deserved that for pushing his opponent to fight back.

 _Good._

"I'll attack directly with Twinkle Littlestar, then end my turn," he said triumphantly. "That wasn't bad, Sakaki."

And then Twinkle Littlestar just straight-up ra up and kick Yugo in the stomach. The boy clutched his belly and fell onto his knees in pain.

 **(Yugo 1100 → 100)**

Sawatari ended the turn with an empty hand, his two Pendulum Scales, and four monsters on the field. His Life Points were at 1900.

* * *

 _Yugo, your plan's working,_ Yuto called out.

"Yeah, I know," Yugo groaned.

Yugo slowly rose up to the ground, though he still clutched his stomach with his left hand. With his right hand, he shakily placed his hand on the deck and drew a card.

His eyes locked on it, and the card in his hand. Now he had the keys to victory.

 _Guys, we've got this,_ Yugo thought. _Yuya! You and me, we have the power to win this!_

 _Let's go, Yugo!_ Yuya cheered.

"I activate the Spell Card, Monster Reborn!" Yugo announced. "I can Special Summon a monster from my Graveyard. And I choose my Clear Wing."

A spot on the ground started to glow. Arising from the glow was Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, who flew up into the air and let out a pained growl. The dragon turned itself around to stare at its summoner.

"It's me, Clear Wing," Yugo said softly. "But you already know that, don't you?"

The dragon let out one more loud, energetic roar before turning its attention back to the enemy side.

"Next, I'm bringing out my Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice!"

Yugo slammed a card onto the Duel Disk blade. The ground beside Clear Wing started to sparkle, and a familiar die rose up to face the enemy.

"Now comes my favorite part!" Yugo said, grinning. "I tune my Level 7 Clear Wing Synchro Dragon with my Level 1 Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice!"

Red-Eyed Dice floated above Clear Wing. Its body transformed into a green ring, which floated down to embrace the dragon. Clear Wing itself split into seven orbs of light, which aligned themselves in a straight line.

"Shine the wings that store the holy light, and strike down your enemies with its radiance! " Yugo chanted. "Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 8, Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon!"

The rings and orbs joined together, forming a large silhouette of a dragon. The silhouette flew high over the rooftops, before faded away to reveal a beautiful, radiant dragon.

"Impressive, Sakaki," Sawatari said. "I guess you'll attack Twinkle Littlestar and and inflict... Uh... How much damage would that be?"

Yugo rubbed the back of Yuya's head. "Uh, let me think... Hmm..."

 _2000 points of damage,_ Yuto told him.

"2000 damage! Enough to win!" Yugo exclaimed. "But that's now how I'm going to win."

Sawatari raised a curious eyebrow. "... How are you going to win then?"

"I'm going to put all my power into beating you, Sawatari. And like a man, I'm going to do it by challenging your strongest monster."

Sawatari looked to Evil Heel, who stood beside him. The monster in turn looked back at him in confusion.

Yugo walked across Sawatari and his monsters, putting some more distance between them. He was planning something big, and he didn't want to end up caught in the crossfire when shit would go down.

"Step two," Yugo said as he walked "With my set Pendulum Scales, I will Pendulum Summon!"

Yugo pointed a finger to the sky. "Pendulum Summon! Let's ride, monster pals!"

Crashing down were two trails of light, which fell to the ground behind him. Once they landed, they faded to reveal Performapal U Go Golem and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. Odd-Eyes let out a mighty roar of triumph over the enemy.

Yugo turned back to face the field. A large egao filled his face. The path to victory was clear as crystal before before.

"I activate U Go Golem's effect!" Yugo announced. "When it's been Pendulum Summoned, I can Fusion Summon, using it and a Dragon-type monster on my side of the field.

 _Yes, do it, Yugo!_ Yuri said excitedly.

U Go Golem and Odd-Eyes started to float up into the air...

"At this time, I use Crystal Wing to negate U Go Golem's effect!"

... and then floated back down onto the field. U Go Golem's form started to crack, and its body fell to the ground. It shattered, then disappeared from the field.

"When Crystal Wing negates and destroys a monster, it gains that monster's attack." **(ATK 3000 → 4600)**

"Th-that won't be enough to beat my Evil Heel!" Sawatari shouted. "Looks like I'm not the only one who almost failed math class."

"Battle!" Yugo announced "Crystal Wing attacks your Evil Heel!"

From high above, Crystal Wing flew from the sky. A strail of blue light trailed behind it, following the dragon and illuminating the sky. Crystal Wing zoomed towards the battlefield, flying directly towards Evil Heel.

"Crystal Wing's other effect activates," Yugo explained. "When it battles a Level 5 or higher monster, it card gains ATK equal to the ATK of the opponent's monster it's battling." **(ATK 4600 → 7600)**

Sawatari's jaw dropped. Crystal Wing was flying in fast, and there was no Action Card in sight. He could only turn tail and start running in the opposite direction, hoping to find a miraculous save somewhere else.

 _"Crystallos Edge of Gale!"_ Yugo cried out.

But he couldn't run faster than Crystal Wing could fly. He was barely out of the scene when Crystal Wing crashed into Evil Heel. The resulting impact sent a force of power crashng through the area, knocking Sawatari to the ground.

 **(Sawatari 1900 → 0)**

* * *

The monsters started to vanish in a sea of sparkles. From the top down, the moon, the clouds, the night sky, the buildings and hills, and even the castle started to fade from view. The entire field was vanishing before their very eyes.

Sawatari got onto his hands and knees, staring down at the ground. He didn't look around to see everything fade could only hear the gentle, jingly sound of the field's Solid Vision fading. He could hear footsteps approach him, then walk passed him.

And then he saw Yuya's hand drop down before him.

"That was a good fight, Sawatari," Yugo said. A small smirk crept up on his face. "When I saw you Synchro Summon, I was dying to fight you out there."

"I'm glad you didn't go easy on me," Sawatari confessed. "I was worried you were. I didn't want it to go that way; it would have been so lame and embarrassing. But knowing that you fought hard, treated me like a real threat."

"Of course! When a man fights another man, he has to fight _like_ a man! And that's what I did."

"... Dang, now I know I'm worth the effort!" Sawatari chuckled. "You really know what to say to someone, Saka- _Yuya_."

Sawatari grabbed hold of the hand, and Yugo helped to lift him up. Soon, Sawatari was able to stand up in front of his opponent without help. And he beamed a proud, affectionate egao to Yugo.

Yuzu and Gongenzaka came running to the scene. But as Yuzu ran closer, something cracked loudly from beneath her feet.

"Oh?" she gasped.

She lifted her foot and looked down. Sawatari's sunglasses rested in pieces on the ground.

Sawatari's jaw dropped. "My Hucci sunglasses! Do you know how much those cost?! They were imported!"

Yugo slammed a hand on Sawatari's shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about it! You're a man, and men don't worry about some dumb glasses!"

"Easy for you to say! I'm stylish, and I have an image to uphold!"

"Yep! Real men don't worry about some dumb glasses."

"Sawatari," Gongenzaka interjected. "I think you owe us some anwers."

"Oh, right," Yuzu added. "Will you be joining us back at Maiami Second, Sawatari."

Sawatari's eyes looked down to the ground. His egao faded, and he nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

"I... Not just yet," he said quietly. "I'm not ready to go back yet."

"Why not?" Yugo huffed. "Real men go to school, even though it's pointless!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Sawatari sighed. "It's just that... When I think about the war, I feel so bad. Not just about myself, but about the people who got hurt. The starving family in the Xyz Dimension, Crow getting carded, being thrown in prison..."

The others looked on in silence, listening to Sawatari's every word. Both Gongenzaka and Yugo nodded sympathetically.

"I have... nightmares about it sometimes," Sawatari continued. "And it gets hard to deal with. I've been seeing an imported therapist almost every day. It's the only thing, besides dueling, that helps me get over that stuff."

"So when you're dueling..." Yuzu began.

"That's days when I don't have therapy. And I spend the day training and learning, so I could be stronger."

"You've been in a lot of pain, Sawatari," Yuzu said.

"You were mad that you couldn't be the hero you wanted to be," Gongenzaka added. "And you were traumatized by the war. And so you trained, not only to get stronger, but also to avoid the pain."

"Yes, my story is very tragic and romantic," Sawatari said. He let out a small, rueful chuckle. "But yes. I couldn't be a real hero, and I couldn't face you guys, the _real_ heroes."

"And Miss Akaba knew?"

Sawatari nodded. "She's a lot kinder now, I think. She's agreed to keep my therapy a secret, and make sure that the teachers of LDS never keep me around too long."

"Know what I think?" Yugo said. "So what if you're not as strong as others? You're still a strong duelist; stronger than most people, I reckon. And you can only feel bad because you were out there, saving lives and kicking ass."

 _Yugo, tell him I'd like to kick his ass in a duel next,_ Yuri told him.

"Hey, Yuya," Sawatari muttered. "Do you really think I was a hero?"

 _Yugo, tell him what I said._

Yugo nodded. "Of course! You didn't get all the spotlight, but everything you did helped protect everyone, in every world."

 _Yugo, you're not listening. Tell him what I said._

"Maybe you're right," Sawatari said. He bushed his hair away from his face. "I felt so powerless. I couldn't see my own brilliance and effort. But _you_ did."

"I think we all did," Yuzu added. "And you're talking to Yugo, by the way?"

"Wait, what?"

"Wait, you can tell?" Yugo asked.

"It feels nice, being able to talk about this, though," Sawatari said. Had to make sure he was still the center of the conversation, after all. "I've only been able to talk about this to my imported therapists."

"Why are the therapists imported?"

"I think, when I'm ready, I might return to your school," Sawatari said. "I still want to train, get better. I still need to get over the whole, you know, horrible and tragic _war stuff_."

"Take all the time you need," Yuzu told him.

"No, face your problem like a man!" Yugo snapped. "Paint your pain in class. It's not as easy as it sounds!"

"... Sawatari. However you go about this is up to you," Gongenzaka said to his friend. "But I hope you know now that we'll be there for you, any way we can."

"Yeah, I think I learned a lesson today," Sawatari replied. "I learned that everyone loves and adores me... Oh, who am I kidding? I already knew that!"

Sawatari let out a hearty laugh, and the others just kind of looked at each other with various levels of displeasure.

"At least he's still the same Sawatari," Yugo groaned.

"Maybe that's not such a good thing," Yuzu muttered.

"Let's just go home now," Gongenzaka sighed.

* * *

 _ **A/N: I hope you enjoyed the pretentious and poorly-written Sawatari arc. There's some more pieces of info I didn't get to share, but I feel is important enough to bring up: Sawatari's dad benefited from the positive press of his son's Lancer career. But Sawatari felt like he did nothing to deserve the fame, due to his losses.**_

 _ **Sawatari also spent his days training with private tutors to become a stronger duelist. His father payed for all this, citing how beneficial it would be to have his son be super strong.**_

 _ **I had a lot of fun planning out and writing a full duel. I want to do it again sometime. But in the next chapter, we go back to lighter, shorter stories.**_


	9. Scale 8: Yaoi-Yuri

_**Fun Fact: Sometime after Yuya's duel with Reiji, the remains of Yugo's bike were found in the Fusion Dimension. Yugo and Rin worked together to repair it, while Yoko supervised and gave them advise. Yugo really liked having a mom to watch over him.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary:**_ **Yuri starts to question his sexuality, which poses a problem for the other boys.**

* * *

Deep within the mindscape, four boys gathered. In an empty, colorless void filled with fog, three of them stood and faced the fourth, waited for his words. They stood under a spotlight; something that kept their vision unobscured by the area around them.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I gathered you all here today," Yuri told them.

His face was a combination of boredom and seriousness. The faces of the other boys were just of boredom.

"Probably for something stupid," Yugo groaned.

"Are you going to apologize for ruining our lives?" Yuto asked.

"No and no," Yuri answered. "No, but I need to discuss a... personal matter with you all."

Yuto and Yugo turned to Yuya for guidance on this one. Yuya, although looking rather skeptical at first, gave them a very small, very sheepish egao.

"Let's hear it, Yuri," Yuya said. "We're here to listen, if you're going to be nice."

"Thank you, Yuya. I knew you were my favorite for a reason."

Yuya had to egao at that one, much to the annoyance of the other two boys. And while he didn't forget that Yuri was a horrible jerk who did horrible things, it was nice seeing him seemingly make progress.

Yuri put a hand to his chin, then turned his head to the side. He seemed rather lost in thought, confused on what to say. The others could only watch and wait for Yuri to collect his bearings.

"I... No." he muttered. "Well...?"

"Yeah, can you hurry this up?" Yugo said. "Today's my day to take the body, and you're cutting into that time."

"Wait, just hold on!" Yuri pleaded. "I just... It's really hard to talk about, but..."

"You can tell us anything, Yuri," Yuya told him. He gave Yuri another comforting egao.

"I think... Gosh, how do I say this? I think I..."

Yuri paused for a moment, then let out an exasperated sigh. "I think I like men."

"Yeah, guys are cool," Yugo said. "Like Jack Atlas is a-"

"Not what me means, Yugo," Yuto told him.

"Oh... O-ooh."

"Yeah."

"Jack Atlas isn't my type, Fusion," Yuri sighed. "I like them older, like our father."

"That's not my name, first off!" Yugo snapped. "Second off, what's wrong with Jack Atlas? And third off, you're gross!"

"Yuto, Yugo," Yuya said. "Group huddle."

The two nodded, and the three of them ran away from the scene. Once they were several feet away from Yuri, they huddled into a circle and put their heads down.

"This is a big problem," Yuya told them.

"Yep," Yuto agreed.

"Yep," Yugo agreed. "Wait, why?"

"We share my body with Yuri," Yuya explained. " _Our_ body. If he turns out to like men, he'll be... liking them with _our_ body."

"Oh. Gross."

"That raises another question," Yuto said gravely. "Right now, we all have girls we're dating."

"No, I didn't ask Rin out yet," Yugo replied.

"I think you should," Yuya said. "She'd be lucky to have you."

"Agreed, Yugo would be a great boyfriend," Yuto added. "But what will we do when it comes to... well..."

"Marriage?" Yugo asked. "I thought about that, too."

"Not what I was thinking, but also right."

"Well, Yuzu and I aren't dating either," Yuya said. "We won't be getting married, so that's one less issue to worry about."

Yuto and Yugo looked at Yuya in disbelief and annoyance.

"What?"

"You're not dating Yuzu?" Yuto asked skeptically.

"No, we're just friends!"

"Yeah, uh-huh," Yugo said flatly. "You know she talked about you all the time when we were in the Synchro Dimension?"

"He talked about her a lot after she disappeared," Yuto added. "Every time she vanished, he'd talk more and more about her."

"Yeah. Even you don't talk about Ruri as much as he talks about Yuzu."

"Hey."

"Eh? What are you guys talking about?" Yuri called out.

The trio looked up from their huddle to look at him. Yuri looked at them with a confused and exasperated look on his face.

"Are you guys talking bad about me?" he asked.

"No, no!" Yuya told him. "We're just working something out."

"Yeah, just hold on a moment," Yuto said.

And with that, the trio returned to their huddle.

"Okay, back on track," Yuto told them. "What are we going to do?"

"We have to let him know we accept him, first off," Yuya said, nodding.

"I don't accept him!" Yugo huffed. "He's causing problems again. And how we know if he's serious?"

The trio lifted their heads to look back up at Yuri, who was just glaring them at this point. Then they tucked their heads back into their huddle.

"Yugo's right," Yuto said. "Is Yuri even capable of love?"

"Of course he is, probably," Yuya told him. "Though Yugo's right; he could just be pulling a prank on us to make us squirm."

"So we should punch him in the face!" Yugo concluded.

"Yes," Yuto agreed.

"No," Yuya disagreed.

"Yuri's a jerk, and we should punch him," Yugo explained. "Even if he's serious, he's still an assface."

"Yugo raises a good point," Yuto said.

"Shut up," Yuya told them. "We're stuck with each other, so we need to all get along. So let's tell Yuri we accept him, and we'll deal with the... other stuff when we get to it."

Yugo frowned. "Fine, I guess."

"We don't have any other options, do we?" Yuto sighed. "It still feels like we're giving into Yuri's demands, though."

"We could still accept him _and_ punch him."

"Good enough for now," Yuya sighed. "Let's go talk to Yuri."

The trio removed themselves from the huddle, then walked towards their fourth musketeer. Yuri only shrugged at them, before turning to look at the watch on his wrist.

"Yuri, we're doing to accept you, no matter who or what you like," Yuya said proudly.

"Yeah, of course you would," Yuri said. He sounded rather detached and uninterested in Yuya's words.

"Ey yeah. Just don't go around town with our body," Yugo growled. "Also, I get to punch you."

"Yuri," Yuto added. "It takes courage to tell us what you to... Wait, why are you checking your watch?"

"Since when do you have a watch, anyway?" Yugo asked.

Yuri looked up from the watch and egaod wickedly. "Isn't it weird how time just passes so quickly in the mindscape?"

"... No!" Yuto gasped. "Yuri, you..."

"It's 6 o'clock in the PM!" Yuri exclaimed happily. "I'd say that's a good time to cut this meeting short."

Yugo slammed his hands against the side of his head. All the color faded from his face. His jaw practically dropped to the floor.

"Wait, I ran out of time?!" Yugo cried out. "But I was going to hang out with Rin today! We had plans, and..."

"You can alway have tomorrow!" Yuya said as he patted the boy's back. "Tomorrow was supposed to be Yuri's day, but I don't think he'll be getting control for a while.."

"Worth it," Yuri said smugly.

"Oh, that's not the point!" Yugo whined. "Rin's been waiting for hours! She's gonna kill me now!"

"Oh jeez, look at the time!" Yuri yelled. "Sorry, Fusion. But I think it's best I get going now."

"Not before I beat your face in!"

* * *

 _ **I hope you enjoyed this story. I wanted to do something lighter and more dialogue-heavy, since the last three chapters put so much emphasis on action.**_

 ** _I'd like to thank every one of you for your reviews, follows, faves, and all the support you've all given me. It really helps keep me motivated. I really appreciate it._**


	10. Scale 9: Card in the Dumps

_**Fun Fact: Sawatari has other Tuners in his deck besides Tuning Gum. He has Sinister Sprocket, Dark Tinker, Stygian Security. He often sides in Sinister Sprocket when he knows his opponent uses Pendulums.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: Yuri has thrown out Yuto's deck, so the duo go to the dump and search for the missing cards.**_

* * *

 _Dear Diary,_

 _I invited Yuzu to watch a movie with me. It's an animated movie about duel monsters that compete in a Des Koala's singing competition. I've already seen the movie with my dad, but I just knew Yuzu would have loved to see it, too._

 _I hope she likes Johnny. He's my favorite character!_

 _We're supposed to go this Thursday, which is when movie tickets are half price. That's usually Yuto's day with the body, but Yuto agreed to take over the body on Wednesday this week instead._

 _I have to go and help my mom wash seven of the dogs. But when I get back, I want to tell you all about how Yuzu and I tag-dueled today._

* * *

All the boys had their decks kept in a desk in Yuya's bedroom, always available for those days when a particular boy got to have their day in the sun. They would share their Extra Deck, so three of the dragons would always be close together, and available for all the boys to use.

Dark Rebellion was safe. But when Yuto went into the desk to grab his main deck, he couldn't find them. When he checked their Extra Deck, all of the Xyz monsters were gone. When he checked with Yuri, Yuri confirmed that he threw the cards away the last time he was in control of the body.

Yuto didn't plan on spending his day searching through a garbage dump. But there they were, searching through a garbage dump. And of course, this was all because of a certain little deviant.

Maiami Landfill was one of four dumps the cities used, and it was the second one they hit that day. Unable to figure out which landfill his cards went to, Yuto was left to try and search all of them, before the garbage would be destroyed.

Which brought us to Yuto now. The boy knelt down in a pile of what seemed to be spaghetti and pumpkin chunks. His gloved hands dug through the mess, desperately searching for any sign of his cards.

 _Wow, this trash-filled dump looks really familiar!_ Yuri said excitedly. _Don't you recognize it, Yuto?_

 _... Why?_ Yuto thought.

 _It looks just like Heartland after Academia invaded!_

Yuto didn't respond.

 _Maybe if you look under some rubble, you'll find your parents' bodies._

Yuto paused his digging. He slowly rose up from the spaghetti-pumpkin chunk pile and started to walk towards another pile of trash.

 _Come on, eggplant. Don't be mad,_ Yuri said condescendingly. _I did you a favor! Now you can stop being Xyz scum and join the winning team._

Yuto heard footsteps. He stopped in his tracks and turned to see their guest. It was a man in a blue jumpsuit; the caretaker of Maiami Landfill, who gave Yuto permission to search through the dump.

"Find yer cards yet?" the man asked.

"Not yet, sir," Yuto said politely.

"Ya better hurry up though; I can't hold off clean-up forever."

"I understand. Thank you, sir."

 _Yuto, tell him that he reeks of booze and should clean himself up first._

"I'll let you know when we find the cards."

 _Yuto, no. Stop being a dick. Go insult that man._

The caretaker gave Yuto a small nod, then sauntered away from the scene. And Yuto returned to a trash pile, where he started to dig for his cards.

 _Yuto? Why are you ignoring me? ... Yuto?_

 _Because there's no point in giving you what you want,_ Yuto responded.

 _Boo, you slag heap. You're no fun to talk to._

And so, Yuto went through garbage rifling through anything he could find. Through the organic foods pile, to the papers, to the plastics. And all the while, Yuri looked over his shoulder and made comments about what he saw.

 _Yuto, check around those used adult diapers. Trust me, I think your cards might be there._

Yuto wondered why the garbage was even organized; he simply imagined that they would crush or bury the garbage without bothering to categorize everything. Since Heartland's waste disposal was a guarded secret, he wasn't as familiar with waste disposal as he could have been.

 _You know, eggplant, if you let me take control of the body, I'll take over the search and let you have a break._

"I wish Kurosaki was here," Yuto said to himself. "He's really good with trash."

Yuto couldn't help but egao at that one. It all went back to an inside joke between the two of them; when Kurosaki found out he liked-

 _Why are you ignoring me, Yuto?_

Yuri interrupted his thoughts.

 _Why do you insist on bothering me?_ Yuto snapped. _You already caused enough trouble today._

 _Because I love seeing you sift through dirt, of course. It's a surprisingly fun hobby._

Yuto could feel the anger rising in him. But with a sigh, he decided to let it all pass and get back to work. He knew better than to give into Yuri any more.

 _We should invite Ruri here,_ Yuri said happily. _See if she can tell you apart from the other bags of trash._

Nope. Yuto continued to run his hand through some sheet metal and electrical wire. He doubted his cards would be here, considering how organized this place was. But he had to do everything he could, search everywhere he could, for his cards.

Yuto noticed something. Buried inside some sort of metalic box filled with wired, he could make out the back of a card. He quickly pulled at the wires and forcefully ripped them out. He dug through the wires and made his way towards the card, until everything standing between him and it was gone.

When the box was empty, he could see the card. He reached out and picked it up, then turned it around to see the front.

Zushin the Sleeping Giant. AKA not one of his cards.

 _Oh wow, tough luck, buddy,_ Yuri said sarcastically. _For a second, I was expecting it to be one of your cards. Oh well, guess we're back to square one._

Don't say anything, Yuto. Don't give Yuri the satisfaction of knowing he got under your skin.

 _You know, Academia had a great way of dealing with trash... We'd card them!_

Screw it.

"You know something, Yuri?" Yuto hissed. "You act mean and you push people away. You're a horrible, unsympathetic monster who doesn't care about anyone but himself."

 _Oh, stop!_ Yuri giggled. _You flatter me too much!_

"But in the end, you're going to be alone."

Yuri stopped giggling. He raised an eyebrow and eyed the boy curiously.

"I used to hate you for taking Ruri. For pitting me against Yugo. For ruining my life and taking everything away from me."

Yuri egao'd. Finally, someone appreciated all the hard work he put into ruining peoples' lives.

 _I'm so glad to be appreciated!_ Yuri chuckled.

"But now, when I look at you, I feel nothing. Because you're nothing. And you're not worth the anger."

Wait, what? Yuri stopped giggling. His wicked egao briefly slipped away from his face.

"You only have me and Yugo because Yuya wants us to get along," Yuto went on. "But when you push Yuya far enough, even he will give up on you."

 _Yes, I'm quite the cheeky fellow. A mischievous scamp, if you will._

"And you will be alone, because you will have pushed everyone away. You will never know true love and friendship. You won't have people to mistreat. You will just be isolated and forgotten, _like you deserve._ And you know that, no matter how bad you try to be, you'll just be a bad memory."

 _Idiot! Don't you think that's what want?!_ Yuri screeched. _I want to be alone! When everyone is gone, that means I've won!_

Both of them were looking furious. And at that moment, both of them could feel an intense, burning hatred for the other. One more attack on them, and they'd blow their top.

Yuto and Yuri both waited in silence, not looking at each other. Yuto scanned the landfill for his cards, while Yuri kept his stare to the ground.

 _Better to be a bad memory than to be nothing at all,_ Yuri said finally.

"Do you _really_ think that?" Yuto asked. "Is making everyone around you miserable a better option than being nice?"

 _... I didn't throw your deck out._

"What?"

 _I didn't throw your deck out. It was just a joke._

"I don't believe you," Yuto growled.

 _Trust me this time, idiot. Call our mother and ask her to check her-_

"I'm not going to fall for another one of your tricks!" Yuto snapped. "I'll call, she'll look, and we'll all have wasted our time because you wanted a laugh."

Yuri crossed his arms and turned up his nose. _So when I try to help, I'm still getting grilled? Talk about unfair._

"I can't tell when you're telling the truth or not. You've spent so long manipulating and tricking everyone around you. And I know better than to trust you, ever."

Yuri was about to speak, but decided to shut his mouth. He closed his eyes and wordlessly slipped back into the mindscape, leaving Yuto alone in the dump. Yuto spent several hours exploring that dump and the next, and the one after that.

Yuto didn't return home until late that night. And to his surprise, Yoko greeted him with his deck. Turned out she found it in her underwear drawer.


	11. Scale 10: Fake News and False Flags

_**Fun Fact: The bracelet girls named the bird Nightingale. Serena suggested naming it Katt or Bird, but the others didn't like those ideas.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: Yuto becomes obsessed with conspiracy theories and starts to suspect Reiji's intentions. Unfortunately, he and his crack team of investigators find difficulty forming a plan.**_

* * *

Yuto frantically typed at the computer keyboard while his eyes watched the screen. He was reading one of thirty tabs he had open, trying to glean us much information as he could.

He had a breakthrough. He was on the trail of something big. And the more information he learned, the closer he thought he was to uncovering everything.

 _Yuya... Yuya!_

Yuya appeared by Yuto's side. He turned to face the boy in his body, who frantically watched the screen. Sweat was dripping from his brow.

 _What's wrong, Yuto?_

"It started with Ruri showing me a subreddit," Yuto explained. "It was about conspiracy theories."

 _Oh, no,_ Yuya sighed. _Here we go._

"No, you _need_ to hear this," Yuto insisted. "The Academia invasion. ARC-V. Interdimensional travel. Ever since the dimensions have been connected, people have been able to share and learn a lot more information that wasn't previously available to them."

 _And you think you uncovered some grand plan._

"Yes. I don't know why I never payed attention to conspiracies until the war happened; the information here could prevent more wars."

 _If any of it was actually true..._

"No, listen to this," Yuto said. "I've followed the leads. I've filled in the blanks with what I've learned on the front lines. And everything points back to one group."

 _The Illuminati._

"Stop mocking me and get woke," Yuto growled. "This information could save a life, if we act fast enough."

 _Sorry, sorry!_ Yuya responded nervously. _I didn't mean- I mean... So what did you discover?_

"LDS, and Reiji," Yuto said finally. "I've been checking several videos, following news articles and remembering what you told me about Reiji. And I believe that he's not done with the war."

Yuya raised an eyebrow. Now he was genuinely curious about this. Although he remained skeptical, he gave Yuto a nod to continue.

"I believe that he plans, or planned to bomb Academia with a missile."

 _No._

"Yuya, I know you're shook, but think about it."

 _No._

"I know you fought alongside Reiji, Yuya. But the fact of the matter is, evidence points to him being up to something. Maybe he brainwashed you to forget some of his bad deeds, so you wouldn't see them."

 _Yuto, that's ridiculous,_ Yuya sighed. _Are you listening to yourself? These theories make no sense_. _Conspiracies aren't real, Yuto._

"Just like how memory-erasing technology isn't real," Yuto countered. "And LDS doesn't have the technology to spy on us at all times."

 _I... well..._ Yuya scratched at his chin.

Yuto snorted. "Here's some truth bombs to redpill you: Shun confirms that Reiji has mind-altering, memory-erasing technology."

Yuya kept on rubbing his chin. Yes memory-tempering and mind control were things he'd either seen or dealt with. He kind of has to admit that Yuto probably wasn't wrong.

"Shun also confirms that Reiji watched over the city during the first Battle Royale, that he watched a lot of things both in and outside the tournament."

 _Reiji just wants to protect everyone,_ Yuya insisted. _Everything he did was for the sake of everyone else. He's a hero._

"He could be. He could also be a mastermind, like his father," Yuto said austerely. "Reiji is a master strategist who does anything he can to reach his goal, no matter who gets hurt along the way."

 _Okay._

"I wouldn't be surprised if he knew about the Academia invasion on Standard beforehand. Or hell, if the whole thing was just a false flag operation to set up and justify the Lancers."

Yuya didn't say anything. He considered pointing out that Sora and Dennis were Academia spies, but he honestly didn't _want_ to. Because he could tell that no matter what he said, Yuto would justify his theories with more theories and ideas.

"Think about it, Yuya. How much do we really know about Reiji? Because I'm connecting the dots here, and I'm fairly certain that all these theories on the internet have merit."

Yuya sighed. At this point, he could see where this was going: they would get into another misadventure that would lead to chaos. And frankly, he wasn't in the mood to deal with something crazy again.

 _Yeah, I think I'm going to stay out of things this time. Just sort of hang out with Yugo and Yuri while you do all this._

"I'll prove it to you, Yuya," Yuto said. "Mark my words, Reiji will be exposed."

 _Good luck with that. Just don't do anything reckless while I'm gone._

"Would I ever do anything reckless? I know how to act during a war. And I know that I can't fight Reiji directly without more evidence."

Yuto leaned back in his chair and looked up to the ceiling wistfully. "And if I'm right, then I'll be saving lives."

Yuto returned to the screen and opened another tab, this time to check his email. Unfortunately, the the thirty first tab proved to be too much for the poor computer; it started to freeze up and become warm, before then crashing.

 _They're on to me,_ Yuto thought to himself.

* * *

Yuto was right about the information being spread throughout the four dimensions. This was largely helped by the accessibility of these other worlds, and how travel between dimensions was a luxury open to the public, albeit on a smaller scale than one's ability to travel between countries.

That being said, multi-dimensional communication technology was not a luxury for the public. It was a big expense, and it would be quite a while before it was made readily available. But for the Lancers and other important figures, constant access was granted to them.

Through Yuya's Duel Disk, Yuto was able call up Shun, in the Xyz Dimension. He would be joining Yuto via video call.

Yuto _and_ Ruri, to be precise. Yuto had called up Ruri and invited her over for their discussion, in person. Naturally, Ruri was quick to agree to the idea of hanging out with her two favorite people.

Yuto and Ruri set in chairs by the desk, while the Duel Disk was propped up next to the computer. Shun appeared on the screen before then, arms crossed and face frowning.

Before they could stay business however, the room door swung open. Yoko Sakaki peeked her head into the room and gave everyone a warm smile.

"Are you all playing nice?" Yoko asked.

"Yes, Mrs. Sakaki," Yuto responded. "We're trying to find a way to expose a secret conspiracy and redpill the world."

"Oh, how exciting!" Yoko excalimed. "Can I get you guys anything to drink? We have hot chocolate."

"I'm good," Yuto said.

"No thanks..." Shun grumbled, briefly forgetting that he wasn't physically in the room.

Ruri raised a delicate hand to get the woman's attention. "I'll have some, thank you."

"Coming right up, Ruri," Yoko said. "Such a polite girl; I'm glad my boy got himself such a lovely girl."

Yuto almost jumped at her words. His face turned bright red with in embarrassment. Shun's face was also red, but this was more from absolute, unbridled fury he could barley contain.

Ruri, however, covered her mouth and let out a small giggle. "I'm glad that I'll have a good mother-in-law one day."

"Ha! That's my girl!" Yoko laughed. She gave a thumbs up to Ruri, which the girl returned.

Yoko slowly shut the door, and her footsteps could be heard as she walked down the stairs. And all the while, the three kids waited and listened in silence.

Yuto didn't even breathe, because he was afraid of drawing Shun's attention. From the corner of his eye, he could see the burning, fiery aura of a man who was ready to explode. Even when the video feed briefly froze and displayed a "Re-Connecting" message, one would still feel his rage from a dimension away.

His eyes moved to Ruri. The girl was stiffling a giggle. She _knew_ the position they were all in, and had no problem finding humor in it. It was a bit of a relief, knowing that she wasn't afraid of her older brother. And it was great hearing her giggles, too.

Yuto cleared his throat. "MMM-HMM! I suppose we should get back to business. We need to get you guys woke."

"Yes, you mentioned something about giving people red pills?" Ruri asked.

 _"I- -in- -e sh-d p- a visi-"_ Shun's words were drifting in and out of a sea of static.

"No, we're going to redpill people," Yuto explained. "It's a reference."

"To what?"

 _"G-d -mn-, Y-"_

"It means that we're going to expose the truth to everyone," Yuto explained. "Through my investigations on Reddit, I've gone to believe that Reiji Akaba was, or still is, up to no good. And since he was able to cyber-attack my computer, I think it's the latter."

"-w I l-t -hing to - - - - -. How - Ruri - a - Rise Falcon - - - - - DEVIL EAGLE-"

"Shun, we can't hear you. Wait a sec."

Shun didn't seem to hear what Yuto said, because he continued to talk. And talk, and talk, and talk. Though much of what he said was garbled, it was easy to make out certain words. "Ruri" was a common one. But slowly, his words became more and more clear as the video quality started to improve.

"But you know my pain, Yuto," Shun continued. "How I lost everything to this war. How I waged a crusade against Academia and the Akabas, all to bring back Ruri. I gave up my dreams just to to fight for the _chance_ of seeing her again. Gone were my dreams of being a professional duelist, because I gave in to my cause above all else. Because to me, Ruri was worth it."

"Oh my- does he always go into speeches now?" Ruri asked Yuto.

"Sometimes," Yuto responded. "Sometimes he just bombs them with his bards."

"I know you guys are sick of hearing my pain," Shun said to them. "I learned the hard way that people would betray you. You'd never know which ally would turn out to be a mole from Academia. You would have to harden your heart and keep everyone at a wing's length from you, because you knew that letting your guard down could be instant death. A distracted soldier is a dead soldier. But you two have always been trustworthy. And that's why I know that you will at least listen to my words, even if you don't like them. Because you can understand my pain."

"... Right," Yuto confirmed slowly. "As for my research, we can use it to stop another act of war and save lives."

"The missile thing?" Shun asked. "Yeah, I read about that online, and it's completely stupid."

"Think about it, fam," Yuto said gravely. "How much do we know about Reiji? Can we trust him?"

"I can trust him to lead us into battle," Shun answered. "I don't trust him as much as I do you or Yuya, but he proved that he is a good man."

"But consider this: Reiji was clearing Academia out so that he could make a take-over. Zarc was an uncalculated risk, and he couldn't enact his plans with such a big threat."

Yuto turned to his computer. He shook the mouse and let the screen come to life, revealing a blog post with Reiji's picture on it.

"We know that both Reiji and LDS have been responsible for propogating fake news," Yuto explained. "We know he has memory-wiping technology. If anything, we have no reason to trust him, because all his bad deeds could have been erased."

"So is Reiji my brother, or not?" Ruri asked.

Yuto and Shun lowered their heads to the ground. Unable to really come up with an answer to this, they decided to just ignore it and pretend the question was never asked.

"Think about it, guys," Yuto continued. "Reiji always seems to have quick plans. He always keeps his hand guarded, so to speak. We know he not only has the technology to spy on people, but that he _has_ spied on people."

"All for the greater good, Yuto," Shun responded dismissively. "You're just being paranoid."

"First off, don't complain about _me_ being paranoid. You're the one who spied on Kaito for six days because you thought his father was a mole for Academia."

"That's not the point! Don't make this about me!" Shun snapped. "And can you blame me? Dr. _Faker_? Anyone with that name is clearly evil. Or at the very least, a faker."

"I think it's pretty unfair to judge someone by a name they didn't choose," Ruri said quickly.

"And he looked evil."

"Yeah... I think he was just, like, a _burn victim_ or something."

Yuto clapped his hands together. At once, the other two snapped to attention and focused on him.

"Guys, we're losing focus," Yuto told them. "It's just like talking with Yuya and the others; we get off-track and nothing gets done."

"What were we talking about again?" Shun asked.

"Yuto's conspiracy theories my brother," Ruri explained as she folded her hands politely over her lap.

"I don't have any- wait."

"Yeah, I meant Reiji."

"Reiji's _not_ your brother."

"Well, you didn-"

"We're getting off track again!" Yuto snapped. "This is serious. You need to stay woke, guys."

Shun and Ruri looked at each other uncomfortably. They weren't really sure how to answer that, so they decided to ignore what Yuto said and act like it didn't happen.

"Well, if we're in any danger, we'll all protect each other," Ruri said kindly.

Yuto moved a hand over to Ruri's. He gave her a small nod and an egao.

"If we're in any danger, know that I will protect you," Yuto told her. "I won't let anyone take you away again."

"My home was burned down," Shun interjected. "I saw my mother carded before my very eyes. I lost everything that I ever valued: my family, my best friend, my home, my city, my future..."

"Is this going somewhere, Shun?" Yuto asked.

"And all of that pain, all of that suffering and all of that trauma is still nowhere near as painful a seeing you try to flirt with my sister."

Immediately, Ruri's Duel Disk started to buzz. She lifted the device up to her face and pressed a button on the touch screen.

Reiji's face appeared on-screen.

"Oh, haven't seen you in a while," Ruri said. "Finally me a call?"

"Ruri," Reiji said to her. "I'm calling you and the Lancers for an important meeting."

"Oh? What about?" Ruri wondered.

"I need to discuss something with you all, immediately. It involves a possible threat to our way of life."

"On my way, little-big brother," Ruri responded. "I'll go tell Yuya and Shun to meet with us.."

"That will save me some time," Reiji said. He gave her a small nod of affirmation. "I will send escorts to pick up Shun in the Xyz Dimension; you and Yuto should come immediately."

And with that, the screen went blank. Reiji had hung up without saying goodbye.

"He was spying on us, wasn't he?" Yuto sighed. "Seems a little convenient that he interrupted our discussion."

Shun sighed. "Yuto, that was just a coincidence. And if I think you're too paranoid and untrusting, maybe you have a problem."

"Yuto may be right," Ruri said. "I told Reiji that I would message _Yuya_ , but he mentioned _Yuto_."

Both Shun and Yuto's eyes widened in surprise. Ruri responded with a serious look.

"Ruri, that's devious," Yuto said. "And genius."

"I think it's time that we start talking to each other through notes, like we'd do in school."

"Genius."

"And we wouldn't have figured all of this out, if we didn't have your genius research!"

"Hey, Yuto," Shun interrupted. "Did you know that Reiji re-installed my Duel Disks's ability to card people?"

* * *

 _ **A/N: Yuto and Shun were never that well-organized when they came to the Standard Dimension. Shun was too much of a hot-head who went on his own, and Yuto had his own way of doing things. Fantastic friends, but not always the best partners.**_

 _ **Come back next time for Reiji's very own special story. Unless I change my mind and write up a story where Yuri enters a figureskating competition and cards his opponents.**_


	12. Scale 11: The Blue Dimension

_**Fun Fact: When Yusho was in town, he took Yuya to see a movie about singing animals; the same movie Yuya mentioned in his diary back in Scale 9. Yuto remained quiet, while Yuya quietly sang along. Yugo wanted to a lot of questions about the movie, but he was quickly shut down my Yuri, who wanted him to stop distracting him. Turns out Yuri loves musicals.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: Reiji and the Lancers discuss business.**_

* * *

Gathered on the thirteenth floor of the LDS, the Lancers sat in a large conference room. They sat by a long, wooden table with thirteen chairs - six on the left, six on the right, and one at the far end of the table.

One wall was dedicated to an enormous window, showcasing the city of Maiami below them. The soft afternoon sun poured into the room, making the area feel a little too warm for comfort.

Sitting on the left side of the table were Sawatari, Dennis, Gongenzaka, Yuya, and Yuzu. The right side, Shun, Tsukikage, Sora and Crow.

The Lancers were passing the time by catching up with each other. Dennis regailed everyone with his new life in Heartland, and how he had gotten a job as a student teacher at an academy. Sawatri excitedly told Crow about his advances in Synchro Summoning, while Crow proudly encouraged him. Tsukikage, Hikage, Gongenzaka and Shun kept quiet through most of the discussion, but would give the occasional nod or egao when required.

Yuya and Yuzu sat together, their hands bound together under the table.

Yuto and Ruri decided to relinquish control of their bodies back to their owners. Today, they would be taking a back seat and watching the meeting from afar. The plan was to focus on any tells or information Reiji might accidentally leak, while Yuya and Yuzu worried about paying attention. All while keeping their own tells and information hidden from Reiji's view.

Yuya and Yuzu were the proper Lancers, anyway. Yuto and Ruri never directly aided Reiji before. They were the ones Reiji really wanted to invite.

And speak of the Devil. Entering the room was the one who called them. Reiji exited the private elevator that brought him to the room, pushing a baby pram in front of him.

Not the most appropriate time to be babysitting his baby sister. But unfortunately, Reiji's mother couldn't always watch Reira. Luckily for her, Reiji had no problem taking care of the girl who saved the dimensions, and overseeing her as she grew up once more.

The group went silent. They watched as Reiji slowly wheeled over to the window. His eyes fell down to the city below.

"Thank you for joining me today, everyone," Reiji said to them.

"Not that we had much of a choice, Reirei," Dennis chuckled. "Would you have let us skip out?"

Reiji smirked. With his back turned, no one but the baby beside him would be able to see it.

"You're correct, Dennis," Raiji answered.

Shun kept his eyes on Dennis. It was an unblinking stare that warned Dennis that he was being watched.

Dennis gulped nervously, giving Shun a halfhearted egao. Dennis didn't want to be there. And Shun didn't want him there either.

"Mind telling us why we're here, then?" Crow asked.

"I've been making some investigations of my own," Reiji replied. "And now, I have information I wanted to share with you."

The group focused all their attention on Reiji, who simply stared out the window and moved the pram back and forth with one hand.

"You all did very well, helping to bring down Zarc," he continued.

"Except Yuzu," Sawatari said under his breath.

"Hey!" Yuzu snapped. "I was Ray when we beat Zarc."

"Sawatari, kindly stop talking right now," Gongenzaka told him. "Or else."

Sawtari bit his tongue. His eyes fell down to the table.

"Thank you, Gongenzaka," Reiji said. "To get back to my point, I wanted to tell you that I discovered something we never dreamed of."

"What is it?" Yuya asked.

"A new, previously undiscovered dimension."

Many of the Lancers gasped. A sense of worry fell over the group, as they remembered the dimensional war they all fought in. The possibility of another war crossed nearly all of their minds.

Sawatari was actually just thinking about a movie he wanted to see.

"It was an anomaly we detected," Reiji explained. "When the Dimension Highway opened up, if briefly connected to another place, a fifth dimension. But by the time we got it properly up and runnng, the connection stopped, and the highway formed a loop between the other four dimensions. "

"How do we know it's still around?" Shun asked. "Or if it wasn't just some sort of glitch in the technology used to make the Highway?"

"We still have a signal from when we locked onto it. We just can't communicate or engage it yet."

"The Ritual Dimension," Yuya whispered. "Called it."

"Oh, we found a Ritual Dimension?" Yuzu asked. "Finally."

"There's a Ritual Dimension?!" Sawatari gasped. "Why do you all know this?!"

"There isno Ritual Dimension, as far as I'm aware," Reiji answered. "Not the least bit because we've had Rituals in dimensions that were defined by their summon, and Zarc had no connection to Rituals."

"Oh," Yuya sighed. That was a bit of a downer. He was kind of hoping for a Ritual Dimension, ever since he learned that there were three other dimensions parallel to his own.

"And what summon method do they use?" Gongenzaka asked. "It's best if we know how to deal with them "

"We don't know if they have a summon," Reiji told them. "We know almost nothing about the dimension, other than that it exists. This doesn't seem to be connected to Zarc at all."

 _This might be a dimension that Reiji wants to conquer, Yuya,_ Yuto told him. _Catch them off-guard and invade it before anyone else can discover and help them._

"That's not going to happen," Yuya answered.

"What's not going to happen?" Reiji asked.

"Oh, Yuto was just-"

 _He's probably going to use the Lancers to invade._

"... Just wondering what the next course of action is."

Shun nodded. "What's the plan going forward now?"

Reiji stopped strolling the pram. He reached down, then lifted baby Reira into his arms and cradled her. Reira let out a soft little coo in return.

"We can't do anything right now," Reiji told them. "We can only wait to see if we can contact them, or if they contact us."

"You're kidding, right?" Sawatari snapped. "So we do nothing?!"

"We just have to wait for any signs of involvement from them. You all need to be alert."

"Then why did you even bother calling us? What's the point if we can't do crap?"

"Because I don't want to keep secrets from my soldiers."

A silence fell over the group. They all glanced at each other in unease, wondering what to do next. Admittedly, they knew this was a good thing, but a few of them had their suspicion about Reiji's sudden candidness. Others were still confused over the concept of a fifth dimension entirely. The air in the room was growing tense.

 _Yuya,_ Yuto called out. _He wants to prove that he can be trusted._

 _He wants to make sure we're all on the same page, moving forward,_ Yuya answered.

 _And this comes right of the heels of my invesitagion into him and his secrets._

 _Yuto, I trust Reiji. He's trying to help us._

"Imagine if we were contacted by the other dimension and weren't prepared," Yuya continued.

He looked around the table. He was speaking to everyone, not just Yuto, in order to bring ease to the group.

"Reiji's giving us a head's up, so we can be ready and not panic. And if we're ready, we'll be able to act fast and do what we need to keep everyone safe."

Yuto didn't say anything. He closed his eyes and nodded to Yuya's words. He knew that Yuya was right; information was power, and it gave them the initiative to act.

The others seemed to accept Yuyas words, too. Many of the worried and anxious faces started to soften up. And the air in the room seemed to get that much lighter.

Even Reiji gave Yuya a polite nod of thanks. Yuya met him with an egao.

And with that, Reiji brought Reira and the pram over to the table. He placed his sister on the table gently, then dug a hand into the pram for a diaper.

Sawatari, who had taken a seat closest to Reiji's, was disgusted. "Hey, don't change a diaper near me! That's disgusting and gross!"

"Just remember to be prepared," Reiji told them all."Meeting dismissed."

And with that, the Lancers slowly rose from their seats. Except Crow, who raised a hand and waved over to Reiji.

"Wait, why did we have to meet in person?" Crow asked. "Why couldn't you just talk over a phone, or message us?"

"This way, I can ensure that you, and only you have received the message," Reiji explained. "And that brings up another point."

Everyone immediately sat back down.

"You can't tell anyone," Reiji said austerely. "I don't want to spread panic to the populace, especially when we don't even know if the other dimension is a threat or not."

"Can I tell my father?" Yuya asked.

"Yusho Sakaki is a good man," Reiji answered. "I suppose you can all tell your family members, if they can keep a secret."

"Guess that rules out my father," Sawatari said proudly. "He proudly tells all his colleagues and reporters about how his son works to protect them all."

 _Shut up and die, Sawatari,_ Yuri muttered. _Yuya, strangle him with his necklace. I'll tell you how._

"We're not strangling anyone," Yuya sighed.

Everyone in the room stopped to look at Yuya, whose face became as red as a tomato.

"I'm not strangling anyone!" Yuya hastily added. "Don't worry, I'm not going to strangle anyone."

"Me, neither!" Dennis chuckled.

Everyone else in the room had varying looks of confusion and discomfort. Except Dennis, who gave Yuya an egao. If Yuya was going to be awkward, at least he had someone being awkward with him.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Jack wasn't at the Lancers meeting because he ultimately declined a position on the team. He decided that he wanted to put all his focus on protecting his city and help keep it moving in a positive direction, and believed that Yuya and the others were more than capable of worrying about the rest of the world.**_

 _ **Glad to get this chapter out of the way. I've been dying to get to working on Scales 12 and 13, since they deal with one of my favorite YGO ships: Fruitshipping.**_

 _ **Since I can't just make chapters of just author notes or me asking you guys quesstions, I'm going to take some behind-the-scenes stuff to my Twitter. I want to start posting fic progress reports, updates, polls, character decks, and possible ideas I want to cover in the fic. If any of that interests you, you can find my Twitter link on my profile page. But you don't have to follow or anything if, you don't want.**_

 _ **Next time: Fun on the beach has never been so miserable. It's a Beach Blanket Battlefield for You Show Duel School.**_


	13. Scale 12: Beach Blanket Battlefield

_**A/N: A few people asked about the other Lancers knowing about Yuya's other personalities. Simply put, only a few of them know. It's only been around a month or so since Yuya's duel with Reiji, so news would travel slow. And since the Lancers don't keep regular contact with each other most of the time (busy live sand alternate dimensions, among other reasons), it never really came up. At this point in the story, I think only immediate family, Sora, Gongenzaka, Sawatari, Himika and Reiji know about Yuya and Yuzu's alternate personalities.**_

 _ **Also, uyigho98 suggested that I bring up a concern. A few comments have come up, wondering why I refer to Reira as a girl. The answer: as confirmed by the Wiki, Reira is canonically female. She was mistaken by fans and most characters as male, but was referred to with gender-neutral pronouns in the original version. Reira's true gender was a secret until the battle with Zarc.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: Ruri's favorite television show is Miraculous Inzektor Ladybug. The other bracelet girls don't like the CGI animation, but Ruri is a fan of it.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: You Show Duel School vacation on an artificial beach. While there, Yuzu decides to show Yuya her true feelings for him.**_

* * *

Every year, near the end of April, the students of You Show would spend a day at the beach. Instead of attending class, every student would get to enjoy a brief vacation to have fun in the sun. One that would end after about three hours, because the kids would have to go home and have dinner.

April in Japan wasn't the best time to enjoy a beach, however. But thanks to the miracle of Solid Vision, and an improperly-installed furnace that would often make rooms a little too hot, the kids were always able to have a safe, fun outing right inside the school's gymnasium.

Several young children ran around the gymnasium, playing games or pretending to duel. The room was full of life, of screams, and of snot-nosed brats.

Yuya, Yuzu, Gongenzaka and Sawatari all stood in the center of the room, clad in modest swimwear. While Yuzu's father worked the Solid Vision, they were tasked with watching over the nine younger students of the school.

Yuzu held a small carrier bag under her arm, while Sawatari had a duck-shaped flotation device around his waist. Yuya and Gongenzaka were the only ones of the group to wear their Duel Disks; something that Yuzu made note of.

"What's with the Duel Disks?" she asked them.

"I'm going to to entertain the kids," Yuya said confidently. "Who wouldn't love to go swimming with Odd-Eyes?"

"I'll be keeping my Disk ready, in case children need help," Gongenzaka said. "I will summon my monsters to help me deal with any problems in the water."

"Luckily you won't have to worry about drowning," Yuzy told him. "The way Solid Vision works, any water you take in will lose its connection to the projector and break down."

"So we can't drink the water, either?" Sawatari asked. " _Laaame._ I was going to dare Yuya to drink seawater. But what's the point now?"

"Hey, are you being mean to Yuya?" asked a voice.

The group turned around to see three determined faces. Tatsuya Yamashiro, Ayu Ayukawa and Futoshi Harada looked up at Sawatari and glared daggers at him.

"Oh gross, kids," Sawatari groaned. "At least they're color-coded; it'll be easier to tell them apart from the others, in case we need to punish them."

"If you mess with our friends, you mess with us!" Ayu shouted.

"Pssh! Yeah, I'm not scared of a bunch of-"

Ayu raised her foot and kicked Sawatari in the shin. Sawatari let out a small scream and clutched his poor, injured body part.

 _The bloodlust and anger are strong in that one,_ Yuri said. _Yuya, let me talk to her. I want to encourage her talents._

It was right then that the gymnasium's speakers sprung to life. Shuzo's voice could be heard amongst its static: _"Is everyone ready for some fun?"_

All the kids let out excited cheers and screams. Futoshi was overcome with shivers. Yuya and Sawatari even joined in on their cheers, raising their hands and punching at the air.

 _Now burn down the school, Yuya,_ Yuri told him.

 _That would be pretty cool, but don't do that,_ Yugo advised.

 _"First off, let's give a round of applause to our volunteer lifeguards!"_ Shuzo announced. "My lovely daughter Yuzu, upperclassman Yuya, and special guests, Gongenzaka and... blond guy!"

The kids all cheered and applauded. Tatsuya, Ayu and Futoshi were especially loud in their cheers. Sawatari even joined the crowd as they cheered for him (and three others.)

 _"And without further ado, let's a-Duel!"_

Shuzo flipped a switch on his control panel. Instantly, the Solid Vision projector sprung to life. Beams of radiant light rained down and cast images onto the room.

 _"FIELD SPELL: BEACH VOLLEYBALL FIELD, ACTIVATE."_

The floor was immediately replaced by a sea of golden sand. One side of the room transformed into a full, beautiful ocean that stretched as far as the eye could see. enormous palm trees rose from the ground and decorated areas of the beach. A large sun hung over the beach, giving everyone light and warmth.

Before Yuya and company was a materializing volleyball net and ball. A few kids quickly clamored around it to play.

 _"Alright, kids!"_ Shuzo shouted. _"For the next three hours, let's play!"_

Yuya lifted up his Duel Disk, which sprung to life and brought out its blade. He slammed a card onto the center of the blade, which lit up and started to glow.

Materializing beside him was a large body of light. Everyone backed away, giving the monster space to appear before them.

The light took the shape of Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragom, who gave the children a playful, joyous roar.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Yuya announced. "This is another lifeguard, Officer Odd-Eyes. And he wants to play games with all of you!"

The kids looked on in surprise, and some with fear. There was a bit of silence as the kids thought about what they could do.

But Futoshi, Ayu and Tatsuya quickly ran over and started to pat the dragon.

"Odd-Eyes, it's great to see you!" Ayu exclaimed. "Yuya, can we get a ride?"

Yuya nodded. "Sure. Just don't let Odd-Eyes run. He needs to take it easy with you kids."

The three kids cheered, and Odd-Eyes let out another joyous roar. The dragon smiled as Yuya helped the kids climb onto its back.

The other kids in the room seemed more at ease now. One by one, they started to approach the dragon.

"Odd-Eyes likes swimming," Yuya told them. "So how about we all go swimming with him soon?"

* * *

While Yuya dealt with the children, Sawatari and Gongenzaka started to make their way to the pool. Yuzu, meanwhile, took a rolled-up towel from her bag and made her way towards a small grove of palm trees.

Rin appeared before her. She lifted her arms up and stretched them to the sky.

 _I can't wait to get a spin in the body!_ Rin exclaimed. _Oh, I haven't gone swimming in so long~_

 _I can't wait to catch Yuto in a bathing suit again,_ Ruri said slyly.

 _Ruri!_ Rin gasped. Although a small egao briefly appeared on her face.

 _That's Yuya's body, too..._ Yuzu growled.

 _O-oh, yeah..._ Ruri said quietly. _Sorry, I didn't mean anything by it._

 _You guys focus too much on boys and their bodies, and I'm stuck having to hear about it,_ Serena scoffed. _What's so great about being in love, anyway?_

 _Oh, right,_ Rin said with a smug sneer. _Serena doesn't have a boy._

 _Th-that doesn't matter. I don't want one._

 _We all have guys who fawn over us. But it's okay; maybe you can try and hit it off with Eyebrow Boy._

 _Maybe your face can hit it off with my fist._

Yuzu stopped by the palm trees and unfurled the towel. She placed it onto the ground and straightened it out.

 _Shouldn't you be watching the kids?_ Ruri asked.

"I'm just setting up for something later," Yuzu explained to them. "Me and Yuya are going to watch the sunset."

Both Ruri and Rin taunted Yuzu with _Oooooohs_. Serena stayed quiet, and Yuzu just rolled her eyes.

 _Why do you all worry so much about my romantic life?_

 _We just want you to be happy,_ Ruri told her. _Yuya makes you happy._

 _So does ice cream, but I'm not going to go out and make-out with a sundae._

* * *

Yuya was right about Odd-Eyes enjoying the water. The dragon sat by the edge of the ocean, letting its feet get splashed by the tide. Two children climbed all over hits body.

Sawatari was actually having a good time with the kids. He partnered with two small children to face Futoshi, Tatsuya and Ayu in volleyball. His athleticism and extra height allowed him to keep the score in his team's favor.

Gongenzaka stood in shallow water, arms crossed. A little girl sat on his shoulders and peered out in the ocean in search of artificial seagulls. A small boy swam close by.

With all of the children busy, Yuya and Yuzu were free to talk. They pressed their backs against a palm tree and watched ocean together.

"What time is it?" Yuya asked her.

Yuzu checked the watch on he wrist. "4:45. We're going to initiate the second phase soon."

Second phase. The Action Field had three settings. The first, which they were in now, was a sunny afternoon. After an hour, the field would shift into the second phase: a beautiful sunset that lasted six minutes, before shifting into night. Not only was this a beautiful display, but this was also the time everyone got to play Suikawari. The third phase was a midnight bonfire in front of an artificial fire.

Suikawari, for those who didn't want to Google it, was a game in which competitors attacked a watermelon, with wooden swords or clubs while blindfolded. Whoever split the watermelon open was the winner.

This was yet another cherished tradition for the school. Gongenzaka was usually the one who won, but last year marked a Yuzu victory.

"It'll be a lot of fun," Yuya said with an egao. "Except the part where I get by someone who misses the watermelon."

Yuzu frowned. "That only happened like, what, once? And I apologized."

"Just once? It felt like thirty times," Yuya laughed bitterly.

The two were so busy talking that they didn't realize a child had walked over. The boy pulled on Yuya's wrist to grab his attention.

"Yuuuuya!" the boy cried. "Everyone's on Odd-Eyes! Can you make another one so I can ride it by myself?"

Yuya egao'd. "How would you like to meet Officer Odd-Eyes's best friend, Lieutenant Dark Rebellion?"

And with that, Yuya and the boy ran off. Two monsters - Performapals Gold Fang and Silver Claw- were summoned to their sides.

"Yuya really is a sweet guy," Yuzu said to herself.

 _He is,_ Rin agreed. _And if you don't snatch him up, girl, someone might take him._

 _Wh-what are you saying?_ Yuzu gasped. Internally.

The three girls appeared before Yuzu, each showing very different emotions. Rin had her hands on her hips. She leaned forward and gave Yuzu a serious look.

 _You know what I mean,_ she said sternly. _You need to be pro-active. Make the first move, or he'll think you're not interested. For example, I make sure Yugo knows I'm interested by managing his life for him. Meanwhile, Yugo made me the muse of a beautiful picture._

Serena kept her arms folded. She seemed rather confused and uncomfortable, unsure of what to do or say.

 _If you want something, you fight for it,_ Rin continued. _And if you don't fight for what you want, you don't deserve it._

Ruri put a finger to her bottom lip. She seemed to be reserved in thought until Rin spoke. When Rin spoke, her eyes filled with life.

 _That's a bit harsh, but I can agree with you a bit,_ Ruri said sweetly. _Yuzu, Yuya is a great boy, like Yuto or Yugo._

Yuzu raised her hands dismissively. _Girls, girls! Yuya and I are just friends._

 _...They have a point, though,_ Serena muttered. _Yuya is a great fighter, he cares about the people around him, and he's always does his best to make everyone feel good._

 _See?_ Rin scoffed. _Even Serena, of all people, knows that Yuya's a catch!_

 _What's that supposed to mean, Rin?_ Serena snapped. _Are you calling me stupid?_

 _No, no! ... Just socially awkward._

Serena took a deep breath, then sighed. She let the anger inside her flow out freely, keeping herself centered and calm before she answered.

 _Rin, I have carded people,_ Serena said calmly. _I don't have a problem ending believe me, I'm capable of doing it. So how about you take back what you said, and say something nice instead?_

Rin gave Serena a sheepish smile, the started to back away from her. _Y-you're right. I meant to say that you're just... inexperienced. Any guy would love to have you._

 _Yeah, I agree,_ Yuzu said to her. _Or girl. I mean, I won't judge, but it's girls you like, right?_

 _I was taught that romance is unnecessary,_ Serena said quietly. _Never act on your feelings; falling in love will just distract me from me goals and make me miserable._

 _Is that how you really feel?_ Yuzu asked. _I think that having someone who makes you happy, just by existing, is beautiful. When you find someone like that, you have to act._

 _Look who's talking!_ Rin said with a sly smirk.

 _Yuya makes you light up like a lamp whenever you think about him,_ Ruri told him.

 _Okay, you guys are just getting weird!_ Yuzu complained. _I'll think about what to do later, okay? But right now, I want to enjoy my day at the beach._

 _You're right,_ Ruri said. _I guess it's unfair to put all of this on you._

 _We just wanted to help,_ Rin sighed. _Sorry._

Yuzu nodded politely. _Well, thanks. Really. It's really nice knowing that you guys have my back._

* * *

For the next little while, everyone got to play and have their fun in the sun. But the sky above was slowly transitioning to a soft gray, signalling that the second phase would soon begin.

Yuzu had gathered the kids around a watermelon. Now all she had to do was summon Sawatari and Gongenzaka to help them.

She approached them and Yuya, discussing something by the ocean. Behind them, Odd-Eyes still sat by the water and let its feet get hit by the tide.

"You see, my floatie is completely filled with Prismatic Secret Rare cards," Sawatari explained to the boys. "This makes its contents alone worth more than this entire school."

"That's very... _neat_ , Sawatari," Yuya lied.

"Can it float?" Gongenzaka asked.

"Certainly... _Probably_ ," Sawatari said wistfully. "But that's not the point of it."

"... Then what _is_ the point?"

"Looking better than everyone else here! Granted, that wouldn't have been difficult in the first place."

"The floatie isn't transparent, though," Yuya said. "We can't even see the cards."

"What's your point?"

"Gongenzaka, Sawatari," Yuzu interrupted. "You can go help the kids now. The swords are in a box in the left corner of the room; my dad'll drop the Solid Vision around there to let you see it."

Sawatari and Gongenzaka nodded. Not because they wanted to go split some melons, but because Yuya had told them about his plans with Yuzu. And they had no problem keeping the kids busy while they got to be alone.

"Ready, Yuya?" she asked the remaining boy.

"I'm always ready," Yuya replied.

And deep within Yuzu, Rin resented that she didn't get a chance to go swimming. But she absolutely did not want to stand in the way of Yuzu's time with Yuya. At least she'd be able to talk to Yuzu all about it later.

* * *

Yuya and Yuzu walked side by side, passed the children and towards the blanket. They quickly sat down beside each other and looked towards the horizon.

Yuzu leaned against Yuya, resting her head on his shoulder. Together, they watched as the artificual sun slowly started to go down.

"It's beautiful," Yuzu said softly.

"It is," Yuya agreed. He hesitated before adding, "I'm glad that I could share it with you."

Yuzu blushed. She rose her head to look at Yuya. He turned to her, bright as a tomato himself, and egao'd.

"I really... _love_ spending time," Yuya continued nervously. "With you, I mean."

And the girl thought about what her counterparts told, and all the words of encouragement she received.

Maybe it was time to listen to them.

She put a hand to his left cheek and brought her lips closer to his. Yuya reached out and held her right cheek. Both of them closed their eyes and brought their lips together.

The pounding in their chests was palpable. Both of them were filled with intense, overwhelming feelings. Familiar feelings, long buried in their hearts. Their hearts were fluttering wildly.

Finally, the two parted their lips. They opened their eyes and stared deep into the eyes of the one they kissed.

Yuzu's eyes were green.

"S-Serena?" Yuya stammered. "Serena?!"

 _Serena!_ Yuzu gasped.

Immediately, the world around them started to dissolve. The sand beneath them vanished in a sea of sparkles. The ocean evaporated. The palm trees left the field, causing a tree-climbing Sawatari to fall backwards onto the floor.

Everyone looked up to the control booth. They could see a furious-looking Shuzo glare down at them.

He picked up a small microphone and spoke, "Yuya Sakaki! Yuzu Hiiragi! _Come to my office!_ "

* * *

 _ **A/N: I didn't want to just make a chapter devoted to teasing and romance, since I want comedy and character development to be the main focuses of the story. But I feel that pushing for romance has been long overdue, and it'll have an impact on the story and characters in the long run.**_

 _ **Next time: What's ARC-V without suffering? A love triangle is the last thing anyone needed, but here we are. It all comes tumbling down in Scale 13: Tip the Scales.**_


	14. Scale 13: Tip the Scales

_**A/N: In this chapter, I'm not even going to attempt to make comedy the main focus. This is straight-up romance fallout. But don't worry, jokes come back after this.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: The sad thing is, I don't think Yuri was messing with the other boys when he made his fanfic. He really does believe in what he's writing, and sees his story as art.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: Dealing with a love triangle is never easy. And when the two girls who like you share a body, it's even less easy. Now Yuya and Yuzu must figure out if they can handle a romance when six other people are involved.**_

* * *

 **April 23rd**

Yuya and Yuzu sat before Shuzo's desk. Shuzo sat on the other side of the desk, his face turning blue. And all three of them sat in uncomfortable silence for what felt like hours.

Yuya looked over to Yuzu. Her head was slightly lowered, and her eyes seemed glazed over. Yuya was sure that this was a sign that she wasn't all there; instead, she was in the mindscape and talking with her other selves, while her body was in a sort of "auto pilot" state.

 _Great._ So she was going to leave him to deal with her father.

He thought about Serena, and how he ended up kissing her instead of Yuzu. He was robbed of his first kiss, while Yuzu never got to have one at all. What would have been a big special moment between them was ruined.

Yuya shook his head. No, he shouldn't be worrying about that. It wasn't the moment that was important. It was about his relationship with Yuzu. But would they have one now? Or did she believe that he purposely kissed Serena instead of her? And what did Serena feel? His mind was just so busy with so many thoughts and concerns now. Not for him or romance, but how the others felt. About romance? Friendship? Oh no, did he ruin things between Yuzu and Serena?

After a few more minutes, Shuzo let out a long, deep sigh.

"So, are you two dating now?" Shuzo asked them.

A question that made them jump. Yuya and Yuzu looked to each other, then back to Shuzo. They didn't really have a chance to explore the end result of what had happened on the beach. Unable to really think of a concrete answer, Yuya just shrugged.

"Well, if you two are dating..." Shuzo sighed. "Then you have my blessing!"

"Eh?" Yuya gasped. "You-you're not bad?"

"I waaaaaaaasss a... biiiiiit mad, I guess," Shuzo admitted. "But you're the boy who fought to save her. I've seen you grow up into a fine young gentlemen. I know your parents, and they're good people. As long as you keep Yuri away from my daughter and their bird, you're alright with me."

Yuya was stunned for a moment. He felt a huge wave of relief wash over him. Not just because Shuzo wasn't going to kick his ass into next Tuesday, though that was a huge part of his relief. The idea that Yuzu really could date him now seemed plausible. And what once felt like something that would never happen, could never happen, seemed to be the one thing on his mind. And he felt like he was experience feelings that he had been holding back for a long time.

"Thank you, Mr. Hiiragi, sir!" Yuya said, bowing furiously.

"May I be excused?" Yuzu asked quietly.

Without waiting for a response, Yuzu rose from her seat and walked out of the room. Shuzo and Yuya were left looking at each other, at a loss for words for her.

"What happened?" Shuzo asked Yuya.

"I don't know, honestly," Yuya replied. "I hope she's alright."

Shuzo put up an awkward egao. "I'd say to give her time, and wait for her to talk to you. Don't worry, Yuya."

"Thank you, teacher."

Awkward.

* * *

 **April 24th**

Yuzu didn't talk to Yuya for the rest of Sunday. But the next day was a Monday, and Yuya knew he'd be able to catch her at school.

Yuya had waited by the front gates of Maiami Second Middle School for nearly an hour. And sure enough, just a few minutes before the first bell would ring, he caught Yuzu as she headed towards the school.

"Yuzu!" Yuya called out. He waved to her. "Hey! I was hoping we could talk about-"

"Sorry, Yuya," she said quietly. "I'm busy right now. Homework."

"I can help," Yuya offered. "What kind of homework?"

"I'm fine. I just need to work on this. Alone, if you don't mind."

Yuzu started to walk passed him. Several other students slowed their walks to spy on the two and their little quarrel. They would continue their conversations, or read their books, or otherwise pretend that they weren't listening to them.

"Yuzu, wait!" Yuya called out. "About me and Serena."

Yuzu stopped in her tracks. "I'd... rather not talk about that right now."

"I didn't mean to kiss her, Yuzu! I never would have if I knew she wasn't you."

Nearly every student stopped and turned to the duo. Their conversations went silent, and they dropped their books. Right now, middle school drama was the name of the game, and they loved spectating.

Yuzu could see this. It just made her feel all the more humiliated, knowing her embarrassing incident was being shared to the entire school. She knew Yuya wanted to help, but this was just embarrassing for the both of them.

"I said that I don't want to talk about that!" she scoffed. "Yuya, I need some time alone. Please respect that."

"O-okay..."

The bell rang, and Yuzu continued walking towards the school. And the rest of the students, seeing the drama end, decided to head to class before they would be late.

And Yuya stood by the gates, watching everyone leave him.

* * *

 **April 27th**

Over the next few days, Yuzu avoided Yuya. At school, she would keep to herself, and always disappear during any free periods. Whenever Yuya tried to talk to her, she told him that she was too busy to talk at the moment.

After school wasn't any better. Yuzu wasn't showing up to any classes at You Show. And when Yuya asked her father about her, he would solemnly explain that didn't feel well enough to attend class.

And that day, just like the last few days, Yuya would leave You Show early and sit some, just waiting for Yuzu to message him. He would sit on his bed and wait for a call, or log onto his computer and search for any posts she might have made. In both cases, there was nothing.

 _I miss Yuzu,_ Yuri said. _She looked so good when she was cowering in fear. I want to see that again._

 _This is all your fault, Yuya,_ Yugo grumbled. _If you didn't scare off Yuzu, I could be hanging out with Rin right now._

 _It's not his fault!_ Yuto snapped. _Don't be such an ass, Yugo._

 _You shouldn't be mad at me! It's because of_ him _that you're not with Ruri, either._

 _Serena got in the way and ruined things._

 _I can't blame Serena,_ Yuri said to himself. _I don't blame her for finding us so attractive. In fact, I appreciate that she could be so bold._

 _She ruined things for all of us,_ Yuto muttered.

"We can't blame Serena," Yuto said out loud. "Serena's a good friend of ours. I don't want to badmouth her."

 _We can badmouth YOU for not noticing she wasn't Yuzu,_ Yugo snapped. _If you really cared about Yuzu as much as she cared about you, you would be able to tell._

 _Eh?_ Yuri gasped. _And who was the one who mistook Serena for Rin? Repeatedly?_

 _What Serena did was wrong, Yuya,_ Yuto insisted. _She hurt you and Yuzu. She hurt al of us._

"Look, I get that," Yuya sighed. "But I know Serena. She would never hurt us on purpose."

 _But she still hurt us._

"... It's complicated."

 _Do you love her?_ Yugo asked.

"What? No!" Yuya snapped. "I love Yuzu."

 _But Serena is best girl,_ Yuri said.

 _As usual, Yuri has no taste,_ Yugo said.

"Yuto, Yugo, Yuri," Yuya said sternly. "I want to be alone for a bit. I need you guys to leave me alone for a bit."

Yuto, Yugo and Yuri all nodded. The three of them retreated into the mindscape, leaving Yuya to his own bitter thoughts.

Meanwhile, in Yuzu's mindscape, the four girls met to continue the same old argument they'd been having for days.

* * *

It always went the same way: Rin would initiate a fight with Serena over what happened. Yuzu would get mad and blame everyone for getting involved in her life. Serena would defend herself and lash out at them. Ruri would try to keep things calm, but would take Rin's side. And every day, absolutely no progress was made, other than the tension that rose steadily with each fight.

"You all said that when you're in love, you have to make a move!" Serena snapped back. "And that's what I did! Now you're telling me that I'm wrong?!"

"What's wrong is that you didn't respect Yuzu's feelings!" Rin barked.

"Well, what about mine?" Serena cried. "What about my feelings?"

She turned to Yuzu, glaring daggers at her. "I fought with him in the war. We were Lancers together. He taught me how about dueling to bring people smiles."

"Yuya and I grew up together!" Yuzu yelled. "We always worked together, we were always best friends!"

"And yet you didn't do anything about it!" Serena said. "And me and him fought to save you. I got captured and brainwashed because I worked for the Lancers, just to save you, while you went riding around with Yugo, or dueling with Sora."

"Don't bring Yugo into this!" Rin roared. "And at least Yuzu didn't make a move on him."

"Are you sure?" Serena said smugly. "Who knows? They spent an awful long time together."

"I didn't do anything!" Yuzu gasped. "Just- just shut up, Serena!"

"This fighting isn't getting us anywhere!" Ruri pleaded. "I think we should all take a deep breath, apologize, and try to figure things out. Right, Serena?"

Serena took a step back. "Why are you talking to _me_?"

"Because this is all your fault!" Rin replied.

And so, the cycle went on once more. The four girls would continue to fight, with each fight getting worse and worse.

* * *

 _Thursday, **April 29th**_

 _I'll never forgive Serena for what happened._

 _\- Yuto_

* * *

 _Dear Journal_

 _I'll never forgive Yuya for what happened._

 _XOXO_  
 _Yugo_

* * *

 _Dear Twitter followers: everyone is miserable. It's a little less satisfying than I thought it would be. #YuriUpdates #YuriFacts #Fusion_

* * *

 **April 30th**

Serena sat in her own private corner of the mindscape. Rather than create a vivid landscape of whatever she could imagine, she just sat on the ground and held her knees with her hands. Her eyes were drawn to the floor.

Yuzu ran towards her. "Serena!"

Serena, hearing her footsteps, turned to look at her. It was a fierce, determined look that warned Yuzu to stay away. Yuzu slowly came to a stop before she got too close to Serena.

"Come to yell at me more?" Serena scoffed. "I don't need it. Just leave me alone."

"I wanted to talk to you," Yuzu told her. "I haven't seen or heard from you in a while."

Serena turned away. "Because I don't want to talk to you, or Rin, or Ruri."

"But we need to talk-"

"I said I don't _want_ to!" Serena snapped. "I already know I messed things up. I don't need to keep hearing it."

"That's not what I- just listen to me!"

"Just leave me alone!"

"Can I say one thing?!" Yuzu shouted. "Then I'll leave you alone, if you want. Please, just let me talk."

Serena didn't answer. Yuzu decided to take that silence as an invitation to say her peace.

"Don't blame yourself for how you feel," Yuzu told her. "But I can blame myself for not seeing how you feel."

And with that, Yuzu turned her back to Serena. She started to walk away from her, further into the reaches of the mindscape.

"Yuzu, wait!"

Yuzu turned around to look at Serena. Serena's face was red, and the glint of tears appeared in the corners of her eyes.

"I didn't mean to ruin things with you and Yuya," she said. "I didn't want you to both be sad. I just... I was thinking of myself... as usual."

Yuzu shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I just wish you told us your feelings, so this wouldn't have happened. Me, Ruri, Rin, we all care about your happiness, too."

"But I wasn't thinking of _yours_."

"But you are _now_."

* * *

 **May 1st**

Yuzu called Yuya to meet her at Maiami Beach that afternoon, after school. A real beach, about an hour away from You Show Duel School. Yuya was quick to accept the invite and go.

Yuya found her at the beach, leaning against a waist-high stone wall that separated the beach from the street. She was watched the sun, which was slowly starting to fall behind the water.

"Yuzu," Yuya said softly. "You wanted to talk?"

Yuzu jumped at his voice. She turned to look at Yuya with sad, blue eyes. It was a sight that made Yuya's heart drop.

"Let's walk a bit," Yuzu told him.

Yuya cautiously started to walk towards her. He took to her side, and the two started to walk down the lonely, empty beach.

"I missed talking to you," Yuya told her. "I'm sorry about what happened, I didn't mean to kiss Serena-"

"You didn't do anything wrong!" Yuzu said hastily. "I- I think- let's just put that aside from now, and not blame anyone."

"That's a relief," Yuya sighed. "I thought you were avoiding me because you were mad at me."

"Not really. I was just mad at the situation. And Serena. And myself, I guess."

"Are you still mad."

"I just needed to think," Yuzu said, rather slowly. "And I thought about what we could do, and where we go now,"

"And what did you decide?"

"That we... right now, romance is out of the picture."

"Oh..." Yuya said dejectedly.

For a moment, the brightness left his face. But for Yuzu, a fake egao quickly returned to his face.

"It would hurt Serena too much," Yuzu explained.

"I understand," Yuya replied. "Believe me, the last thing I want would be to hurt either of you two."

"I know, Yuya. That's just the kind of guy you are. And what I love about you."

Yuzu instinctively reached her hand out to Yuya's. But when the two realized what was happening, they quickly pulled their hands away.

"And, honestly, I don't see this ever working out. Even if Yuto and Ruri kept dating, and Yugo and Rin's started dating, what would we do about Yuri and Serena? And what if they wanted to date other people?"

"I guess we're not just dealing with our romantic lives," Yuya confessed. "No matter who we date, we're also dealing with 6 other people and their love lives."

The two of them stopped walking. They hopped up the stone wall and took seats at the top. And for a moment, they sat in silence, trying to think of what to say.

Ultimately, it was Yuya who spoke first.

"I really thought we could work this out," Yuya said sadly. "All the boys would date the girls, and we'd work out a schedule-"

"And we'd still deal with 6 other people, who could walk in on us at any second."

"True, haha..."

Yuya turned away from Yuzu and looked down at his skates. A long silence fell over the two as the sun set in front of them. An orange glow fell over them.

"We'll still be friends, though, right?" Yuya asked. "I couldn't stand to lose you again, Yuzu."

"Of course!" Yuzu responded. "We can't date, but we'll always be best friends. That never has to change."

The two turned to each other and wrapped their arms around the other. Instead of focusing on the sunset, or their broken hearts, they focused on being with each other.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Thank you for sticking by me during the first volume. Your comments, advice and support are what kept me going with this, and what makes me continue to write. I'd especially like to thank BlazeKnight7, Cinder Fall 39, uyigho98, nightshroud96, HunterHQ, and everyone who has continually commented, reviewed, or asked questions, which kept me motivated and focused.**_

 _ **The Scales have come to an end, and the story will soon go into its next phase. Get ready for new adventures in another dimension, and the continued misadventures of the Yu boys and bracelet girls.**_

 _ **As usual, you can check out my Twitter for notes, progress reports, and other behind-the-scenes crap for the fic. You are absolutely not required to follow me or anything; they're just there for those who want it, followers or not.**_


	15. BONUS Level 1: Yuri and Elder Abuse

_**A/N: Here's a bonus chapter. It's a short, self-contained story that isn't directly tied to the main story.**_

 _ **As usual with a Yuri story, the contents of this chapter might not be for everyone. And you really shouldn't be treating people the way Yuri treats others. Yuri is just not a nice person, even when he's on the side of good.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: Yugo realized that he could eat as much as he want and pass the stomach pains off to the next person to take over the body, so they could deal with them instead. This lead to a brief but increasingly self-destructive war between the four boys, as they try to continually pass off pain on each other.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: Yuri is forcibly volunteered to help the elderly, and attempts to help an old lady eat her meal.**_

* * *

Some people try to see the good in others. They can see a light in others that the person themselves may not see, and they try to help them share that light with the rest of the world.

Some people are like Yuri, and their inner light is a dim light bulb that's almost dead, but it'll start to emit sparks when you try to touch it. And when people try to share that light with the rest of the world, nearly everyone gets electrocuted.

Today's story was instigated by Yuri's school counselor, who would see Yuri about once a week to help him deal with his issues. In an attempt to encourage empathy in Yuri, he signed the boy up for a volunteering job. Yuri would deliver meals to the elderly and assist them however he could.

Now normally, it would probably be a horrible decision, sending a child to a stranger's house alone. Yuri would be paired with a fellow student on the jobs, and they would work together to bring the food.

But Yuri's partner, deathly terrified of Yuri, agreed with his decision to stay back and let Yuri handle the jobs alone.

Yuri could tell that today was going to be a good day. He stared through the window of the old, shabby house of his second oldie of the day, and he holding a bowl of soup that was covered in plastic wrap.

Yuri moved from the window to pick up a rock on the lawn. A rather large, craggy rock that seemed perfect for his plan.

Said plan, of course, was to throw it through the window.

Yuri pulled his free arm back and cast the rock at the window. On contact, the rock crashed against the window and bounced off. The glass started to crack and groan, and the sound of a panicked woman could be heard from inside.

Yuri's partner, who stood several feet away from him, gasped and slowly backed away from the scene.

"Hey, ma'am!" Yuri called out sweetly. "I'm a volunteer! I've come to bring you your food!"

"I- but- I..." the old woman yelled and stammered. The poor woman was heavily confused by what had happened. "Th-there's- the door's unlocked! Please, come in, before more of those rocks fly at you."

Yuri smiled, then made his way to the woman's front door. And true enough, the door was unlocked. He proudly waltzed right into the house without a care in the world.

The woman sat on a lounge chair in a room to Yuri's right. She sat in front of an primitive 60-inch flatscreen. One of her wrinkly, withered hands rested on the side table next to her chair.

"You're lucky that I'm not some dangerous criminal, ma'am," Yuri lied. "Otherwise, I could have taken advantage of your unlocked door, broke in, and slit your throat, while the only thing you'd be able to do was register the pain and fear before your inevitable demise. And that would be tragic!"

Yuri egao'd happily. "For you, I mean. In that scenario, I'd be pretty happy."

Yuri walked towards the woman getting into her field of vision. Although still startled from the rock attack, she seemed to be pleasantly surprised by the boy's presence.

"I-it's nice of you to stop by, young man," she said softly. "Thank you for your concern."

Yuri dropped the bowl of soup on the woman's lap. Luckily the plastic kept the contents from spilling all over the woman and burning her. But the sudden gesture startled the woman yet again.

"Excuse me?" the old woman asked. "Could you please take off this plastic cover?"

"You'll have to do it yourself, ma'am," Yuri responded.

"But I can't take it off... My fingers aren't what they used to be."

"I'm not going to enable the indolent, no matter how old they are. You just need to believe in yourself and try your best, no?"

The woman looked down at her food, then back at Yuri. She let out a sigh. The boy _seemed_ determined to help her, in his own strange way. And in all honesty, he was a lot nicer than previous volunteers.

"You're such a nice dear, helping an old lady like me," the woman said. "Most kids just make jokes about our age, or say that we're going to die soon. Those jokes are all the sa-"

"I _could_ make jokes about them dying soon," Yuri assured her. "But I don't want to take satisfaction in deaths I didn't cause."

"O-oh..."

Yuri's eyes drifted to a small, wooden side table next to the woman's couch. Curiously, he moved over to it and slid open the table's drawer. His hand dug into the drawer and started to search for anything to grab.

"Excuse me?" the woman asked. "What are you doing there, young man?"

"Just taking a look at what you have," Yuri said innocuously. "You have any candy?"

"No, I do not. But I'd rather you not go through-"

Yuri's hand rose up. He held a small orange pill bottle, stuffed with red-and-white pills. He immediately went to work trying to crack open the bottle's childproof cap. Surprisingly, the cap proved to be very difficult to open, despite the clear instructions on the top of the cap.

"What are these for?" he asked the woman.

"Oh, I need to mix that into my meals. They're supposed to-"

 _"Stupid bottle!"_

Yuri grunted as he tried to pull of the cap. When that didn't work, he threw the bottle to the floor. The cap flew open, and pills spilled onto the floor.

"Oh!" Yuri happily exclaimed. "There we go, problem solved!"

Yuri immediately knelt down and started to scoop up the pills. Every second and third handful would be stuffed into his pocket, while others would be held in one of his palms.

After a moment, Yuri rose to his feet. And to his surprise, the old lady had partially ripped up the plastic covering on her food. Much of it still covered the bowl, and some of the plastic fell into her soup.

"You did it!" Yuri cheered. "I'm so proud of you, ma'am!"

"Yes, I... I guess I did it," the woman said softly. "Now, about those pills-"

Yuri cast the pills his hand into the soup. "I'm already one step ahead of you, ma'am. Enjoy."

Then Yuri took a pill from his pocket. "One for you, one for me."

"No, don't you dare!" the woman cried out. "Please, that makes your heart beat faster. Who knows what-"

Yuri frowned. "Wow, way to take all the fun out of guessing. Rude bitch."

Yuri threw the pill into the soup. "I'm trying. I'm trying _so hard_ to help. But you're just so determined to make this difficult for me."

He turned his back towards the woman, then headed towards the TV. "I know when my kindness is being abused, and I won't stand for it."

And with that sentiment, Yuri grabbed hold of the flatscreen, then started pulling at it. It grunted and groaned as it was slowly being ripped from its place on the wall.

"And I'm taking this," Yuri grunted. "They... They don't pay us enough for this job. Hope you understand."

"... Please get out of my house, young man," the woman said sternly. "Get out, or I will call the police and have them _make you_ get out."

The TV slipped out of Yuri's hands and crashed to the floor. The screen flickered off and cracked upon impact. Smoke started to rise from the vents on the side.

"Fine!" Yuri snapped.

He turned from the TV and started to head out the front door. He "forgot" to close the door on his way out, just to make things more inconvenient for the old lady.

But then he remembered. He walked back to the door, slammed it as hard as he could, and then opened it again.

 _Now_ he could go.

That was a horrible experience. But at least Yuri learned something from all of this: working with the elderly was surprisingly fun. He hadn't had such a good time since the time the bracelet girls showed them a bird they found.

Onward, to the next house!

* * *

 _ **A/N: This was kind of a short, mellow chapter. The original draft of this story was much longer, and had Yuri do chores for the old woman. But since I didn't want this to distract me from writing Rank 0, I decided to cut out a lot of content and save it for possible stories later down the line.**_

 _ **We're probably not done with this old lady, though. In her next appearance, she's gonna be out for vengeance.**_


	16. Rank 0: Utopic Sleepover

_**A/N: Welcome to the Xyz Dimension arc. Get ready for a whole new world of stories, including an update on Dennis, Yuto's family, more romance and heartbreak, a secret date between two lovers, and the reveal of the fifth dimension's dark powers.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: Yusho doesn't spend much time at home. He'll pop in once every few weeks to visit his family, but he spends most of his time in the Xyz Dimension, working a a teacher and helping people rebuild.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: The bracelet girls try to repair their friendship with a sleepover at the Kurosaki house.**_

* * *

Heartland was hurting from Academia's attack. The scars of battle were left on the city, leaving a lot of buildings in ruins. And like the buildings, the scars of battle were left on the minds and hearts of the city's citizens, who were still struggling with the trauma and losses they suffered.

But things were changing for the better. Thanks to assistance from all over the other dimensions (particularly a remorseful Academia and Leo Akaba), the healing process would begin. And thanks to the magic of Solid Vision, repairs were accomplished must faster.

The city was still heavily in ruins, but debris had largely been cleared from the roads. Buildings that stood were starting to get repaired, and temporary homes created by Solid Vision allowed many people to have a roof over their heads. And Heartland Tower served as a shelter for many more.

On the third floor of Heartland Tower, Shun Kurosaki and his parents stayed. Like many others staying there, they had their own designated rooms. Mr. and Mrs. Kurosaki had a room of their own, and Shun had a room he shared with Allen Kozuki. Sayaka Sasayama lived alone in a room, saving the space for whenever Ruri and her other selves came to visit.

* * *

May 5th

Yuzu talked to her father about sleeping over in the Xyz Dimension for the weekend. Shuzo agreed, on the condition that she call him every day, and stay with the Kurosaki clan as much as she could. He didn't like her being so far away, but he understood Ruri's need to see her own family.

The girls had another motive for coming to the Xyz Dimension. After tearing each other apart and getting their hearts broken, they needed time away from the drama. They were going to try and fix the division between them, and to focus on things outside of romance.

The Kurosaki family were eager to see their daughter(s.) But they had all agreed to give the girl(s) some time and space to adjust. So after a couple of hours of discussion, crying, and catching up, they reluctantly let the girl(s) go off for the night.

The plan: slumber party with Sayaka.

Yuzu knocked on the door to Sayaka's room. After a moment, the sound of the girl's voice could be heard muttering something, and the door slowly opened to reveal her. Sayaka peeked out and gave Yuzu an egao.

"Ruri!" she said. "Oh, or one of Ruri's friends?"

"Yuzu," Yuzu confirmed. "But Ruri's here with us."

Yuzu closed her eyes. When she opened them, her irises were pink. Ruri was now granted control of the body.

"Sayaka!" Ruri exclaimed. "It's good to see you! I missed you so much."

Sayaka pushed the door open further, and Ruri went in and wrapped her friend in a hug. Sayaka seemed a little susprised by this at first, but returned the hug.

"That's Ruri, right?" came a voice.

Ruri's eyes moved toward the person behind Sayaka. It was another familiar face: Allen Kozuki, who was holding a pair of some sort of... armored shoes?

"Oh... Allen," Ruri said slowly. "It's nice to see you."

The girls broke away from the hug and turned to face Allen. The boy nodded and egao'd back at them.

"Hey, Ruri!" he cried. "You know, me and Sayaka were gonna try out these boots I made for her. You wanna come back out?"

"Allen, I just said I couldn't..." Sayaka sighed. "Right now, I really want to catch up with Ruri and enjoy our slumber party."

 _Oh my God, that kid's voice makes my ears bleed,_ Serena growled. _I can't listen to him anymore._

Ruri's eyes shifted colors once more. This time, they turned green.

"A slumber party?" Allen asked. "How come I didn't hear about this?"

"It's because you weren't invited," Serena replied.

"Harsh..."

"The truth hurts sometimes, sadly."

 _Dang. That was cold as ice, Serena,_ Rin said.

 _It was fun, too._

Sayaka waved her hands before her. "Everyone, relax, please!"

Allen and Serena both went quiet. They turned to Sayaka and waited for her words.

"Allen, I haven't seen Ruri in a long time. Please, I need some time with her," Sayaka told her. "But tomorrow, we can spend as much time as we want together."

"Hit the railroad, train boy," Serena said. "We're supposed to do bondage and stuff. And I'm not going to let you run my first sleepover."

 _That was horrible, Serena!_ Yuzu scoffed.

 _I mean, it was a pretty good pun,_ Rin admitted.

Allen huffed. "Look, Ruri! There's no need to be such a jerk. So back off, or-"

"Everyone, please!" Sayaka pleaded. "Allen, if-"

"That's not how you take command," Serena barked.

With that said, Serena grabbed Allen by the poncho and started leading him out. He could only grunt and punch at her arm as he was forcibly thrown out of the room. And once he was with Serena then slammed the door on him.

The four other girls stared at Serena in shock. She simply turned to face Sayaka and egao.

 _You know, being mean was... kind of fun,_ Serena admitted _. It's like bringing egaos through dueling, except the biggest egao comes from yourself._

 _That's a horrible lesson!_ Rin snapped. _You can't just kick people out like that. Who raised you, a psychopath?_

 _I mean, kind of..._ Yuzu replied. _She was._

 _O-oh, yeah..._

 _Remember, you guys said that we need to bond,_ Serena reminded them. _No drama, no boys, no pain. Just bondage and parties._

"You-you okay?" Sayaka asked. "You're just kind of... staring off and egao-ing."

"Yeah, we do that a lot," Serena assured her. "It just means that me and the others are talking."

"You're having a private conversation?"

"Yep."

"Oh..."

Wow. Sayaka tried to not take that personally. But the idea that they were conversing and leaving her out felt a little cold.

* * *

Sayaka had left the room to grab some snacks, leaving the other girls to settle in and get themselves organized. And as Yuzu packed silently unpacked her belongings, the girls were talking amongst themselves.

 _Wow, even Sayaka has a boyfriend, and I don't,_ Ruri sighed. _But then again, it's the train kid from Clover Branch. So..._

 _Let's not worry about that, haha!_ Rin said, giving off a fake laugh to ease the tension.

 _Yeah,_ Serena agreed. _And it's not like we'll ever have to worry about that; unless we can all date the same guy, we're all going to be single forever._

 _Just shut up, Serena, haha!_

Ruri let out a small sigh.

Yuzu clapped her hands together. _Listen! We need to forget about boys. What matters is that we have each other. And I think we should make our friendship the most important thing._

The three other girls appeared before Yuzu, each giving a nod. Egaos started to form on their faces. Yuzu's words were just the think to put their minds at ease, and put everything else in perspective.

 _No more drama,_ Yuzu said happily.

 _No more hiding things,_ Ruri added.

 _No more yelling,_ Rin replied.

 _No more race wars,_ Serena concluded. _This is a nice sleepover. And I'm glad my first one got to be with you guys._

 _Everyone, get into the mindscape!_ Rin exclaimed _I feel a group hug coming on!_

 _Any of you touch me and you die,_ Serena hissed.

 _Never mind! I_ don't _feel a group hug coming on!_

"Yuzu... Yuzu!"

Yuzu blinked and looked around the room. She turned around to spot Sayaka standing behind her, a small basket of candy goodies in her hands.

"You've been standing around this whole time, not talking or answering," Sayaka said. "Are you guys talking again?"

"Just giving the others a pep talk!" Yuzu assured her. "And we're all ready to party, Sayaka!"

"That's good!" Sayaka said cheerfully. "It'll be really fun, getting to know you and the others. If you're anything like Ruri, I'm sure we'll be the best of friends."

* * *

While Yuzu finished unpacking, Sayaka cleared a spot in the middle of the floor for them. She placed a pile of treats in the middle of the floor, and a pillow to its left and right. The girls would each sit on the pillows and enjoy the candy while they talked.

Admittedly, it was a bit of a simple start for a slumber party. But they didn't have television, internet, make-up or magazines. Turns out that the rebuilding of Heartland focused more on rebuilding houses and uniting families, than getting party supplies.

Sayaka was now regretting not asking the girls to bring over some goodies.

But at least they had games to play. And as Yuzu took a seat on the pillow across from Sayaka, the girls all got themselves psyched up for the old, non-card game-based classic: Truth or Dare.

"Okay, here's how we'll play," Sayaka explained. "I'll go first. Then Ruri, then Yuzu, then Serena, and then Rin. The person who went last will ask the question for the next person."

 _How do we play?_ Serena asked.

"We ask the person to pick between truth or dare," Yuzu explained. "The person chooses one, and the person asking the question gets to ask them a question they must answer truthfully, or make them do a dare."

Yuzu's eyes flashed with orange, signalling Rin's turn in control. "So I ask you a question, right?"

"Yep," Sayaka responded, nodding politely. "It'll be great getting to know you Rin."

"Likewise!" Rin giggled. "So, truth or dare?"

"Ah... I would pick _truth_."

"Uh..."

Rin tilted her head and put a finger to her lip. She let out a soft hum as she thought about her question. There were so many ideas in her head; now it was a matter of picking the right one.

Rin kept humming and thinking. The choice had to be perfect here. She had to make a good impression on Sayaka, and she had to-

 _Hurry up!_ Serena insisted. _It's been over a minute and you haven't said anything._

 _Don't rush me, Serena. I'm trying to think._

 _Think faster. We're all waiting for our turns._

"Sayaka!" Rin exclaimed. "Do you... like... vam... pires?"

Sayaka raised an eyebrow. The other three bracelet girls appeared before Rin and also gave her looks of confusion.

 _See, this is what happens when you rush me,_ Rin scoffed.

"Well, I suppose vampires are cool," Sayaka mused. "I actually like supernatural stories. Oh! I really loved the book about Crimson Vampire Knight Bram."

Rin's eyes shifted to pink. Ruri was in control now. "Oh yeah, I remember! Remember when we went to the book fair?"

"And while we were getting books we liked, Yuto tagged along and bought all those edgy books?"

"And then he started wearing that black collar!"

The two girls burst out laughing. Serena and Rin looked at each other in confusion, but knew that they were missing out on a memory shared only by Ruri and Sayaka. Yuzu, however, egao'd and nodded her head; these two were having a good time and enjoying their time together.

Ruri sighed, content. "Oh, we should go book shopping again. You should check out the books they have in the Pendulum Dimension."

"It's a date!" Sayaka nodded. "And Ruri, truth or dare?"

"Truth!" Ruri said quickly. "I have nothing to hide."

"What is your honest opinion on living in the Pendulum Dimension?"

"Ah..." Ruri tilted her head and pressed a finger to her lips. Her words were slow, but also clear. "It's a very beautiful place, and there are a lot of great people there."

Her voice lowered a bit. "But to be honest... I miss Heartland a lot. It will always be my home."

"Sorry..." Sayaka murmured.

Yuzu placed a hand on Ruri's shoulder. Ruri wouldn't be able to feel it, but the intent behind it was meant to be more emotional support than physical.

Sayaka also leaned over the snacks and put a hand on Ruri's shoulder. And Rin joined in, too. Serena just kind of stared a moment, before she realized what was going on and joined in.

"Okay, let's not feel down," Ruri said. "We're here to have fun, not be sorry. Truth or dare, Yuzu?"

Ruri's eyes closed, and Yuzu's eyes opened.

"Truth," Yuzu responded.

Back to Ruri. "What do you think of Shun. Cool big brother, or annoying, big pain?"

Yuzu bit her lip. "Can I say both? Because I like how protective he is of us, and I always feel safe when he's around. But he keeps staring at me from out my window at night."

Ruri cringed. "Yeah, I've noticed."

 _I kind of like that about him,_ Serena said. _We don't need his protection, but we can appreciate his vigilence._

 _And how he can stand in a tree all night without sleeping,_ Rin added.

"But I've never had a big brother before," Yuzu continued. "And I'm glad that Kurosaki's mine, now."

"Agreed," Ruri, well, _agreed_. "He can be a pain. He can be overprotective. He can be loud. But I wouldn't trade him for anything."

 _I'd trade him for two Kurosaki's and some cards,_ Serena said.

The others didn't respond to her.

 _What? That's a great deal._

"Serena, truth or dare?" Yuzu asked.

Serena took control for this round. "Dare! I'm not a wuss, I can take anything."

"What would be a good dare, guys?" Yuzu asked. "Serena says she can take anything, but let's see if she can back up her words."

"Make her eat as much candy as she can in a minute," Ruri proposed.

"But... we kinda, sorta have to ration this food," Sayaka replied quietly. "Maybe she could knock on someone's door, and then run away before they answer?"

"A better dare would be to duel and defeat whoever answers the door," Serena responded. "I'm no coward. I don't run."

"... Toilet water," Rin stated.

Everyone looked to Rin.

"Make Serena drink toilet water," Rin continued.

"That's disgusting!" Yuzu gasped. "... Do it."

"No!" Serena snapped. "That's disgusting!"

"Afraid?" Rin asked smugly. "Are you chicken?"

"No, I'm not a chicken!"

Serena tilted her head and bit her lip. Her face was bright red. "Ugh... I guess I can't back down from a challenge."

"Uh..." Ruri said. "We share a body. If Serena drinks the toilet water, we all do."

"Oh."

"Oh," Rin added.

"Oh," Yuzu added. "So let's not do that dare."

"I got an idea for a dare," Sayaka said. "Serena, I'll go call Allen, and you have to apologize to him, _and_ give him a hug."

"... Is the toilet water option off the table now?" Serena asked. "Suddenly, that doesn't seem too bad."

 _Okay, maybe dares aren't going to work,_ Rin said quickly. _Maybe change your answer to truth._

"No."

 _No?_

"I won. Now it's my turn to ask questions."

Rin pinched the bridge of her nose. It was taking all of her strength not to pull Serena out of her control and teach her a lesson about being so... whatever Serena was.

But instead, she sighed. Because this was a time for them to get along, not to fight. So she slipped into control of the body.

"I'm ready to go, Serena," Rin told her.

"Dare, or dare?" Serena asked.

"Neither, I pick truth."

"Weak," Serena scoffed. "Do you want kids one day?"

Ruri turned herself away from the scene. Her eyes fell to the snacks on the ground.

"I like kids!" Rin happily exclaimed. "At the orphanage, I spent a lot of time caring for the younger kids. I didn't like it so much then, but now I can step back and appreciate the time I had with them."

"That's so sweet," Yuzu said. "And it explains why you're so motherly. You'd be a great mom."

"Kids are gross and annoying," Serena interjected. "You two can have them, but I don't have to take care of them."

"I agree with Serena," Sayaka said. "It's Serena, right? Maybe I'm just too young for that decision, but I don't think I'd want kids one day. They're too-"

"You have good taste, glasses girl!" Serena announced.

Serena gave Sayaka a proud egao. Sayaka was a bit surprised, but gave an egao of her own in return.

"I would like a pet, though," Sayaka continued. "Just a small one, a quiet lapdog."

"You have bad taste, glasses girl!"

"You know, this feels really familiar..." Ruri mused.

"How so?" Yuzu asked.

"Like, I get the feeling that this happens a lot. You know, where we have a single issue, and we spend a long time just talking about the issue."

"And sometimes we get off-track and talk about nothing," Serena added.

"I start to police everyone, and then Serena is socially awkward," Rin said. "... And Ruri or Yuzu try to calm us down, but we never listen."

"You don't police. You nag."

Rin pinched the bridge of her nose again. "Yes. Thank you, Serena. That's _real_ helpful."

Sayaka let out a small chuckle. "You guys are doing it again. Getting off-track and arguing."

"I guess we can get a bit too focused on each other," Ruri admitted. "But when you spend all your time with someone, you often get used to talking to talking to them all the time."

There was a knock at the door. The girls all went silent and turned to see the person entering. It was a face more familiar to Sayaka and Ruri, but a face that seemed to fill all the girls with joy.

"Ruri?" Mrs. Kurosaki asked. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Mom!" Ruri squeaked.

Ruri's eyes twinkled to life, and a wave of emotions drowned her. Even though she had just seen her mom earlier, it was not enough to make her forget the time they spent apart. Ruri immediately ran towards her mom and gave her a hug.

For a brief moment, she forgot that she wasn't a prisoner. And she could see her mom any time she wanted. Maybe they could even cut the slumber party short...

Ruri closed her eyes tight.

No, she _couldn't_ see her mom any time she wanted. And her time in Heartland would have to end again, if only for a while. Because she was stuck inside a body that wasn't her own.

It started to sink in now.

 _Fartnuggets._

* * *

A portal appeared at the town square - the designated area for dimensional travel. The Dimension Highway brought several people to the city, and they all eagerly took their first steps into Heartland.

Most of them were workers, come for their late shifts for rebuilding. Some were tourists, or original citizens who were finally able to get back home.

And one of them was Yuya Sakaki, carrying a backpack full of supplies.

 _It's gonna be great, guys,_ Yuya assured his headmates. _Tomorrow, we'll all get to see my dad in action._

Yuto and Yugo appeared beside him, egao-ing, while Yuri kept himself hidden in the mindscape. They all knew that tomorrow would be a busy day for them.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Serena's a bit aggressive and mean this chapter, no? Heartbreak can change people. Especially when it's your first love, and the limited social skills you were taught came from people who encouraged unpleasant attitudes at times. Plus I thought it would be funny.**_

 _ **For those who were worried that FruitShipping would end at Scales, don't you worry about a thing. The trials and tribulations of the boys' and girls' bonds has only just begun. I want to really develop the characters' bonds more, but I feel that it would be better to first focus on showing off more of their characters and the relationships they have outside of romance.**_

 _ **One more thing: I really want to thank everyone for sticking with me through all of this. Even if I don't comment on them, I'm reading all your comments, reviews, suggestions and criticisms, and I appreciate every one. You guys are the reason I want to keep writing.**_

 _ **Next time: Class is in session, and Dennis is the teacher. Join us for a School Assembly in Rank 1.**_


	17. Rank 1: School Assembly

_**A/N: I've been plotting out the story from beginning to end. After the Rank volume, there will be about three more volumes.**_

 _ **What will I do after I'm done with this fanfiction? Maybe I'll write side stories with the leftover ideas, and maybe take some suggestions for one-off chapters.**_

 _ **I've also been planning a big slice-of-life sequel that follows a classroom of students, which include the children of ARC-V characters. I'd love to write this one and explore the future of ARC-V's world, and show what kind of children the old characters would produce.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: Yuto is really good at science. Whenever the boys have science homework or project, he's the one leading the effort.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: Yuya and Yuzu enjoy class with Dennis Macfield.**_

* * *

Saturday, May 6th

Normal schools were a rarity in the still-recovering Heartland, but they still existed. Classes would take place in the ruined remains of the old academies, or in conference rooms in Heartland Tower, or, most recently in one's very own home, via wireless communication. Even in the current landscape, education was a top priority.

Naturally, Heartland Duel School still thrived. Set up in a Solid Vision circus tent, the school would convene every day after regular school ended, and all day on weekends. It was a large source of entertainment for the students, who would in turn do monthly shows for the people of the city.

Sayaka and Ruri stood before the circus tent, staring up at the mutli-colored lights that were strewn around it. It was simple, but beautiful and mesmerizing. It offered a lot of color; something that wasn't too common in Heartland until recently.

They were here to see one of their old teachers. Someone who Ruri was hoping to finally reunite with.

"How can the whole school study here?" Ruri questioned.

Sayaka shook her head. "The number of students is a lot smaller now; we don't even have enough to have branches anymore. Classes are divided by age groups now."

Ruri put a finger to her lip. "That's too bad. I was hoping to see some Spade students today."

"You might," Sayaka offered. "Kids our age show up in the afternoon, so you can wait here until they come. Right now, the younger kids have class."

Sayaka started walking towards the entrance. She looked back to her friend and egao'd. "But Mr. Sakaki is here all day."

 _"RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN~"_ came a loud cry.

Sayaka jumped out of the way as something ran towards them. Exiting the tent was a wide-eyed, egao-ing young man around there age. His arms were outstretched towards Ruri.

Ruri let out a yelp. She took a step back and pulled her hands above her face.

Before the boy could hug her, Rin pulled back a fist and uppercut him right in the jaw.

Yugo gagged and fell backwards, landing on his back. The boy, dazed, just looked up at the sky and groaned.

"Th-that's definitel you, Rin~" he said weakly. "~~~~"

Rin put her hands on her hips. "Yugo? What are you doing here?"

Serena appeared beside Rin. _I was hoping we'd avoid running into Yuya and the others..._

Rin and Sayaka each grabbed one of the boy's hands and helped him rise to his feet. Yugo let out a groan as he struggled to deal with his pain.

"I... ow, Rin. That punch was too rough," Yugo groaned. "Now that we're not together, I thought you'd at least be gentler."

"You were running at me like a psycho," Rin scoffed. "What was I supposed to do?"

"Yuya?" Sayaka asked.

"Yugo," Yugo corrected. "AKA best boy."

 _If you were the best, we'd all be in your body instead of Yuya's,_ Yuri giggled. _You're third-best._

"Shut up," Yugo said.

"I didn't say anything," Sayaka murmured.

"Oh! Not you, lady!" Yugo apologized. "Er, I'm here for the class."

"But now's the time for little kids."

"I know that!" he scoffed. "I'm hanging out with my new dad."

"Oh, right! Yuya's dad is Mr. Sakaki."

"He's my dad, too, now!" Yugo chuckled. "Rin, looks like we both got parents now. Living the dream, huh?"

"I have more parents than you," Rin said smugly. "So I guess I win."

"You can't win at parents! ... Right?"

Yugo's eyes shifted to red. By now, you could probably figure out who was taking control of the body at this point.

"Hi, Rin. It's Yuya," he said. "My dad invited us to come stay with Heartland for a couple of weeks. We get to help him with his classes."

"Yuya!" Yugo snapped. "Tell Rin that she can't win at parents. Or better yet, show her how much better ours are."

"Forget it, we're wasting time!" Rin snapped. "Let's just go inside and see Mr. Sakaki. Ruri and Yuzu really want to see him again."

"Oh. Yeah, we're supposed to do that aren't we?"

* * *

The inside of the tent was pretty much what you'd expect from a circus: bleachers were lined around a large, empty circle that made center stage; trapeze swings and platforms were held above the stage; a large, rectangular, star-covered box sat in the center of the room.

Yuya and Ruri took spots in the front row, with Sayaka sitting between them. About sixteen small children, around the ages of seven and ten, sat on the bleachers with them. They were all waiting patiently for the arrival of their teacher.

Ruri glanced over to Yuya, who leaned forward and stared at the box expectantly. Ruri could see how anxious he was to see his dad.

 _Yuya doesn't get to see his dad much,_ Yuzu explained. _Only when his father is visiting his Dimension._

 _I can relate,_ Ruri said. _It's great seeing him so happy, though._

Ruri could feel Serena's presence at the back of her mind. But Serena said nothing, and she didn't appear to any of them.

The lights in the tent all went off, and a single spotlight fell center stage. The sound of a drum roll echoed through the tent from an unknown source.

 _"Ladies and gentlemen!"_

The spotlights rose up to the trapeze set, and the drum roll stopped. Yusho Sakaki was dangling from a trapeze bar, waving to the audience. His Duel Disk was activated, and the blade was projected.

"How much do you trust your Monsters?" he asked the group. "Enough to win a duel? Enough to put your life in their hands?"

Yusho let go of the bar. To the surprise of the audience, he started barreling through the air, towards the ground. It was a large, 25-foot drop; something that left the children gasping and shouting.

The spotlight followed him as he fell. If they had been able to see his face up close, they would see his wry, confident smirk.

"I trust my cards!" he announced.

Halfway down, he placed a card on his blade. Performapal Sky Magician materialized beneath him, then caught the man in its arms.

"Do you?"

Sky Magician floated to the ground safely. Yusho pulled his walking stick from behind his back, then slowly slid off to stand on the ground.

The crowd burst into wild applause. Yuya stood up and furiously cheered for his father, blocking the view of the children behind him.

"I thought he was going to come out of the box," Ruri said.

"That would have been too obvious!" Yuya explained. "Sometimes you need to know what your audience expects, and then challenge it."

Yusho took a bow, and Sky Magician vanished into an ocean of glitter. The glitter scattered through the air and over the awed crowd.

"Today, we have three special guests," Yusho announced. "We have Yuzu, the lovely Entertainment Duelist, and one of my former pupils."

Ruri rose up from her seat, and the class clapped for her. She turned to them and gave them all a polite bow.

"Mr. Sakaki, I'm not actually Yuzu," Ruri explained. "But she's here with us, and she says that she's so glad to see you again."

Yusho nodded. "Oh, of course! Now that I hear the way you speak, I can tell it's you."

Ruri gasped lightly. "You can tell us apart?"

"I know everything about the best and brightest duelists," he said with a playful wink. "Like you, and Heartland Duel School's very own Sayaka!"

Sayaka turned her self to see everyone clap for her. Although she stayed in her seat, she couldn't help but egao and blush at the attention.

"Sayaka was one of my students before the war, but you might know her better as a brave member of the Resistance, who helped protect Heartland."

The claps grew louder, and Ruri put a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"I learned from the best teacher, though," Sayaka said.

"I wonder who that could be?" Yusho replied. "While we figure it out, let's welcome our last guest. He's another person who helped bring peace to Heartland. Joining us for two weeks is my very own son, Yuya!"

Yuya stood up and waved to the crowd. They all cheered and applauded for him. This time, it was his turn to blush.

"Yuya shares a body with my other three sons," Yusho explained. "Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri. And you'll hopefully get to meet all of them during their stay.

The kids continued to clap, although less enthusiastically. If there was a way to clap in confusion, this would be what they were doing.

"Now, I-"

 _"Show must go on!"_

The star-covered box stated to shake. All the sides fell to the floor, and a sea of fog blasted through the field.

"What's going on?" Ruri asked.

 _Oh,_ Yuzu said.

 _Oh,_ Serena agreed.

The fog soon dissipated. Standing where the box once stood was Dennis, holding a large bouquet of roses. He cast it into the air, and it exploded into confetti.

"Hello, class!" Dennis shouted. "Are you ready to learn?"

The students all immediately rose from their seats. To the older kids' surprise, they extended their Duel Disks out and activated them.

"Oh?" a wicked egao formed on his face. "You're not even going to let me talk before challenging me?"

"We're going to crush whatever you throw at us!" a child said bravely.

"Attack!" a girl cried out.

"Now, now, class!" Yusho said quickly. "Why don't we listen to Mr. Macfield before we attack him."

Yuya looked to the class in confusion, then back to his dad. "But, Dennis-"

"Oh, Yuya!" Dennis said. "So you came!"

He waved frantically to his friend. Yuya egao'd and waved right back.

"Good to see you! Oh, and Yuzu!"

"Ruri," Ruri corrected.

Dennis's egao faded, and he lowered his head. He hesitated to talk any more.

"Mr. Macfield is the main teacher," Yusho explained. "I'm his assistant - his warm-up act."

Dennis's face brightened up. "Oh, _yeah_. Whenever he's here, Mr. Sakaki is always there to help."

"That's great, Dennis!" Yuya exclaimed. "I'm so proud of you."

Dennis rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. He was trying to deflect a bit of attention from the comments, not to focus on it too much. But admittedly, hearing Yuya say that really helped to bolster his spirits.

"I think I found my calling," Dennis admitted. "I still get to entertain a crowd. But I also get to help so many people, and I'm teaching the next generation of Entertainment Duelists. And the kids love me! Right, kids?"

The kids were quick to boo their teacher. Quite a few insults were also thrown at Mr. Macfield's direction.

"Yeah!"

Yuya sighed right then and there. So far, things didn't look so good for his friend and his teaching career. "And you're _sure_ this is the right path for you? These kids seem-"

"Hi, Den-Den!" Yuri exclaimed.

"Yuri?" Dennis asked. "That you, buddy?"

"Teaching the kids about how we totally decimated their world and killed their parents? " Yuri asked. "Good lessons, good lessons... I could help teach, if you'd like."

"Eh, not quite..."

Yuri pointed to a child in a red shirt. "Oh, the kid who couldn't run! I remember carding you and your parents! Fun times. Fun times..."

Yuri's eyes shifted back to red. "Please excuse Yuri, everyone. He's just very excited to meet people."

 _See, this is why you don't get to talk to people,_ Yugo said.

Yuri simply scoffed.

Well, this got awkward. But a good showman knew how to save a show when it's gone off the script. Yusho walked closer to the bleachers and waved a hand to grab everyone's attention.

"I wonder what trial Mr. Macfield has set up for today?" Yusho asked. "I have a feeling that this one will be _extra_ difficult."

"Actually, teacher," Dennis began. "I'd like to talk to Ruri privately, if that's okay. Could you explain the lesson this time around."

* * *

Ruri and Dennis stood just outside the tent. They didn't look at each other; instead, they just listened to the sounds of life inside the classroom.

It was a moment before anyone said anything. After clearing his throat, Dennis was the first one to speak.

"So, Ruri," he said. "Ruru, Riri, the Rurster... Ruri Kurosaki, Ruples..."

 _I think Dennis is a little nervous,_ Yuzu told Ruri.

 _I think this might be about kidnapping me,_ Ruri responded. _Does he want to... apologize?_

"Ruruminating, Riru... uh... _Rureefer_..."

 _He seems to be a good guy now,_ Yuzu said. _It might be hard for him to apologize, though; what can you really say after kidnapping someone?_

 _Can we trust him?_ Rin asked.

 _I get the feeling that we should trust him,_ Serena said cautiously. _I'd say to be on your guard, but I fought beside him in the war. You get a certain reading about those you fought with._

"Rurino 911," Dennis went on. "Rurinistan, Rukia, Luli, Rapis Lazururi..."

 _It doesn't matter if_ we _can trust him,_ Rin said. _He put_ Ruri _through hell._

 _Oh, right,_ Yuzu sighed.

"Rurinzurena, Ruricle Luscinia, Ruralien..."

 _You could kick his ass,_ Serena offered. _Try to get even through a duel._

 _Serena,_ Yuzu said softly. _Peoples' feelings can be a bit more complicated than that._

"Dennis, stop," Ruri said.

Dennis immediately stopped talking. He turned to look at Ruri. His eyes were wide and heavy with anxiety; something Ruri could plainly see when she looked at him.

"I'm just- I-" Dennis stammered. "I did bad things, but I- I'm not bad."

When his eyes caught Ruri's, Dennis's gaze fell down to his feet. Seeing her eyes just reminded him of his shame. He felt unworthy to look at her right then.

"At least, not anymore, I think. I hate that part of myself. I'm trying not to be me. The me I used to be, I mean. I mean-"

"Duel me?"

For a second, Dennis's eyes rose to met Ruri's. But when he saw her face, the shock of her words couldn't overcome the feeling of shame he felt. He brought his eyes back to the ground.

"Entertainment Duels are about making people egao," Ruri explained. "They can make people feel better. They can heal nations, end conflict. It's not always the answer, but it's always a good first step."

"What are you saying?" Dennis whispered.

"Duel me, in front of the class," Ruri said. "Show me how you really feel during a duel. And our pain can inspire joy for everyone else."

Dennis gasped. Instead of talking, he could only stammer out more incoherent words. but this time, the tense atmosphere around him was a lot lighter.

 _You sure about this?_ Rin asked.

 _I'm not going to lie, I'm a little mad,_ Ruri confessed. _It still hurts, knowing what he's done._

 _... But you're using Entertainment Duels to create peace!_ Serena exclaimed. _Just like Yuya would._

"Do you accept, Mr. Macfield?" Ruri asked.

"I-uh - _yes_!"

"Then go get your students and tell them to meet us outside."

* * *

After about ten minutes, the class had been lead outside by Yusho. They, along with the older kids and Yusho, stood to the sidelines of the dueling grounds.

To their left was Ruri, standing several feet away. Her Duel Disk was at the ready. And to the far right of her, Dennis dramatiically extended his Duel Disk out to her.

Yuya was quick to notice that Dennis was wearing a familiar mask on his face. And he all-too-quickly knew what Dennis was planning.

 _Dennis, you have to show her your true self..._ Yuya thought to himself.

 _Eh? What's he doing?_ Yuri asked.

 _He's making himself the bad buy to make his opponent look better. And that's not going to make him happy._

 _You never know,_ Yugo said. _Maybe that's his kink._

 _His what?_

 _His kink._

"Ruri, you foolish woman!" Dennis cackled. "Challenging _me_ to a duel? When you lose, you'll be trapped in a never-ending sea of homework!"

"Huh?" Ruri mumbled. "Wha..?"

 _He's playing the heel,_ Yuzu explained. _Just go along with it._

 _Oh, right! I can do that!_

"I'm going to stop you, vile villain!" Ruri responded. "And I will free the children from your tyranny!"

Now both of them were cackling wildly, much to the embarrassment of the other bracelet girls.

"So, you meet my challenge with a laugh?!" Dennis roared. "Prepare to get schooled!"

 _Their Duel Disks spoke: "FIELD SPELL: CROSSOVER, ACTIVATE."_

"Duelists locked in battle!" Dennis stated

"Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!" Ruri returned.

"They storm through this field!"

"Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling!"

"Action!" the audience screamed.

 _ **"DUEL!"**_

* * *

Floating platforms appeared all around them, and cards scattered through the air. And once the last card fell to the ground, both of the duelists were ready for action.

"Watch and cower before my power," Dennis said. "I set the Pendulum Scales with my Scale 2 Performage Bubble Gardna, and my Scale 5 Performage Candy Craftsman."

Dennis placed the cards on his Pendulum Zones. Columns of blue light appeared on either side of him, along with either monster. Bubble Gardna appeared to Yuya's right, with a number 2 underneath it, while Candy Craftsman appeared to Yuya's left, with the number 5 beneath it.

"I Pendulum Summon!" Dennis declared. "Take center stage! Level 4 Performage Mirror Conductor!"

A swirling pendulum swayed circles in the sky. From within the center of that circle, a single light fell to the ground. The light landed right before Dennis, then exploded in a sea of sparkles and confetti. Mirror Conductor toos on the field, a wicked egao on its reflective face. **(DEF 1400)**

"Next, I Summon Performage String Figure."

From the ground rose a clown-like creature. It stood right beside Mirror's left side. **(ATK 0)**

"String Figure's monster effect activates," Dennis growled. "I can perform a Fusion Summon with this card and one Performage monster in my hand or on my field."

String Figure started to glow. Its face contorted into a menacing, wicked grin. One hand extended out to hold Mirror Conductor's hand.

"Clear mirror that shows inner weakness. Become one with the infinitely form-changing strings that connect people, and create a new witch that spurs the sky!"

The two monsters jumped into the air. Their bodies clashed together and swirled into a vortex of blues and oranges. Their unity created a brilliant glow of light.

"Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 7! Performage Trapeze Force Witch!"

The light rose to the sky, and a wand-like handle came down. Trapeze Force Witch grabbed the handle and dropped down to the field. **(ATK 2400)**

"Behold, the tool of evil!" Dennis cried out. "Feel the pain of your past! Let your anger feed me!"

The kids started to cry out in shock. A few of them booed their teacher, and one child even hissed.

Yuya looked at the kids nervously, then back to Dennis. His mind was filled with worry for him.

 _He's trying to be the bad guy again,_ Yuya said. _The kids might think he's really evil..._

 _I like this show,_ Yuri responded. _I always found that fear is a great educational motivator._

Dennis held up a card to his opponent. "Next, I activate the Spell Card, Bubble Barrier!"

Dennis slammed a card onto his Disk blade, and a series of large bubbles poured from it. The bubbles filled his side of the field, surrounding Trapeze Force Witch.

"Because of Trapeze Force Witch's effect, Performage monsters cannot be targeted or destroyed by card effects," Dennis explained. "And Bubble Barrier prevents her from being destroyed by battle one per turn."

 _What a strong defense_ , Yuzu thought.

"Now, you can't hope to claim victory!" Dennis screamed. "How's that! You can't dream to harm us anymore!"

Dennis pressed a hand to his abdomen, threw his head back and let out a wicked cackle. And the class immediately started to loudly boo and scream at their teacher.

 _Hmm, good show,_ Yuri mused.

Yuya walked in front of the children and started to wave his hands around, hoping to grab their attention.

"Mr. Macfield is a good man!" Yuya told the kids. "Don't believe this charade-"

"We know that..." one boy grumbled.

Yuya blinked. A few kids turned to look at him, and a couple of them looked a bit annoyed by Yuya's outburst.

"He does this all the time," the boy said. "It's how he teaches us."

"He acts mean, and we have to learn how to get through his puzzles," another child explained. "Sometimes Mr. Sakaki helps us."

"We're just playing along," a girl added. "Just let us have fun, big kid."

Yuya nearly dropped to the floor. He slammed his hand in his face and let out a groan. "Yes, of course. Just-just ignore me, then."

Yusho placed a hand on his son's shoulder. Yuya looked up at his father curiously.

"Dennis is a good actor," Yusho told him. "But at the end of the day, the kids _know_ he's just acting, and think he's a good man. That's what makes Dennis happy."

Yuya turned back to the field and eyed Dennis. _This is his own style of Entertainment Dueling, then?_

"I end my turn, heroine!" Dennis announced. "And come my next turn, you'll have to face your demise!"

* * *

Ruri placed a hand on her deck. _Serena, I'm calling on you. Lend me your power for this._

 _Right,_ Serena responded. _Time to kick his ass all over again!_

Ruri drew a card and looked at it.

It was Instant Fusion.

Her excited eyes ran over all the cards in her hand. She was glad, because she now had all the pieces needed to pull off her epic plan.

"I activate Instant Fusion!" Ruri announced.

Ruri placed the card on her Disk's blade. The image of a three-foot ramen cup appeared on the field. It started to shake from side to side, its contents ready to burst.

"I pay 1000 Life Points to Special Summon a Fusion Monster from by Extra Deck," Ruri explained. "But the monster can't attack this turn, and it's destroyed during my End Phase." **(Ruri: 4000 → 3000)**

The ramen cup's lid peeled open. The cup faded away to reveal the body of a feminine body, with wing-like arms, a flowing dress of feathers, and talons for feet. **(ATK 1000)**

"I summon Lyrilusc - Independent Nightingale!" Ruri announced. "And this card gains ATK equal to its Level, multiplied by 500." **(ATK 1000 → 1500)**

"You expect me to fear that?!" Dennis cackled. "You foolish fool! You can't hope to break through my defenses with that monster! It's like a bird, flying into a clear glass window!"

"Oh, the fun has just begun!" Ruri shouted. "I offer my Independent Nightingale as tribute for a Tribute Summon!"

Dennis stopped cackling. His, and everyone else's eyes fell to the monster. It disappeared in a sea of sparkles, and from its ashes rose a large, looming figure.

"By its own effect, I can Tribute Summon this card with only one monster," Ruri announced. "I summon The Tyrant Neptune!"

A scaly, centaur-liked creature appeared before the field, wielding an enormous scythe in its hands. Its face was partially obscured with a dark, inky shadow. **(ATK: 0)**

"So cool!" one kid gasped.

"R-really?" a shocked Dennis said quietly. "Ruri, Is that the best you can do?"

He cleared his throat and then spoke up louder. "I mean, that's the best you can do?! You poor thing; I must have hurt you so much, you've forgotten how to duel. Looks like it's up to me to school you!"

"Boo!" came the audience's response. "Leave her alone!" "You monster!" "I hate you!"

Now it was Ruri's turn to laugh. "Appearances can be deceiving. Now it's time to show you Neptune's strength!"

"Eh?" Dennis groaned. "What can it do to my cards? My Performages are protected by Force WItch!"

"This card gains the total original ATK and DEF of any monster used for its Tribute Summon," Ruri explained. **(ATK: 0 → 1000)**

"So you can attack with it, but so what?" Dennis chuckled. "It's weak. And you just wasted your Normal Summon on it."

"Stop interrupting me and you'll find out," Ruri said confidently. "Kids, give Neppy your support, so he can overcome your teacher!"

The students burst into cheers. Yuya and Yusho both clapped for the monster, and the other three bracelet girls cheered from beside Ruri. The overwhelming response was enough to make The Tyrant Neptune egao and wave to the children.

"It's so cute!" a boy squealed. "It's giving me shivers!"

"When it's Tribute Summoned, it gains the effect of one of the monsters used for its Tribute Summon, and takes its name. And one of Independent Nightingale's effects is to gain ATK equal to its level, multiplied by 500."

 **(ATK 1000 → 6000)**

Dennis gulped. "But if you attack, it won't be enough to win! And don't forget, you can't destroy my monster!"

The audience booed their teacher more.

"We're not going to battle," Ruri explained. "We're ending this without going into the Battle Phase."

Gasps could be heard from the audience. Everyone stood in silence, only able to watch Ruri with baited breath. Her bold declaration had everyone dying to know what her next move would be.

"Independent Nightingale has another effect. I can inflict damage to my opponent equal to this card's Level, multiplied by 500."

The Tyrant Neptune swung its scythe forward. A strong force of wind blasted through the field before it. A stream of blue feathers appeared high in the air, then flew at Dennis's side like a field of daggers.

Dennis's jaw dropped. His hands fell to his sides, limp. He watched in horror as the feathers flew over his monster, then dove toward him.

"No..." Dennis gasped. "I couldn't do anything..."

"Now you know what it's like to feel powerless, villain!" Ruri screamed. "Feel my power and watch as I take everything away from you!""

The feathers rained down on Dennis's body. He let out a dramatic yell as they fell onto his body. **(Dennis: 4000 → 0)**

* * *

Dennis, like his jaw, dropped to the floor. He was in total shock. All he could do was make a small, confused-sounding moan. "Buuuuuuh?"

But the kids were happy. As the Solid Vision started to fade, a swarm of cheering kids ran towards Ruri. They circled around her like hungry sharks, eagerly trying to grab her attention.

"Yes, your hero has defeated the evil teacher!" Ruri declared. "And that means no homework!"

"Y-you can't actually... do that," Dennis groaned.

"Quiet, villain! I said _no homework_!"

Ruri let out a gasp. Oh, she realized that she was still in character mode. "Oh. Sorry, kids, Dennis."

 _Looks like you really impressed them,_ Yuzu told her.

 _You were vicious,_ Serena said happily. _Glad you could use Fusion so well._

 _I have you to thank, Serena,_ Ruri replied.

Yusho slowly approached the group. His cane clacked against the ground as he walked towards Ruri.

"That was an impressive duel," he told her.

"Thank you, teacher!" Ruri said warmly. "It was fun, getting to entertain everyone."

"I don't know if you entertained _everyone_."

Yusho's eyes moved to Dennis. Ruri turned to see her fallen foe. Her heart sank a bit from the sight of him.

Dennis was on his hands and knees, staring down at the ground. His head spun with dizziness, and he was still groaning.

"Dennis doesn't look so good," Ruri confessed.

"Entertainment Dueling isn't just about making the crowd egao," Yusho went on. "You also need to bring that same joy to your opponent. And wiping them out in one turn, and not letting them fight back isn't very fun."

"And I hecked up on that part. Kind of let my anger and excitement get the better of me."

"Yeah. But it's not too late to make Dennis smile."

She looked to Dennis. "You're right, teacher."

Ruri gave her teacher an egao, then walked over to Dennis. As she approached him, she extended her hand out to him.

A surprised Dennis slowly reached out to grab her hand, but stopped midway.

"I..." he gasped. "But I..."

"Come on, let me help you up," Ruri replied.

Dennis's eyes sparkled, and his heart beat loudly in his chest. He took Ruri's hand and let her pull him up from his misery.

The two of them turned to face the crowd before them. The kids and Yusho cheered for the two duelists. And Yuya cheered the loudest, for both of them.

Yuto, however, glared daggers at the duo.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Can I say how much I hate the fact that "Lyrical Luscinia" was changed to "Lyrilusc" in the TCG? It doesn't sound nearly as good, and it loses some of the parallel to Shun's Raidraptors. Sure, the names for cards would be very long. But "Lyrical Luscinia" sounds way prettier.**_

 _ **In the future, I want to do a bonus chapter about each of the boys and girls teaching a class. I already have an idea of what Yuri and Serena will teach. Look out for that in the future, probably after the Ranks have been concluded.**_

 _ **Next time: Time to take a peek back at the Pendulum Dimension. Keep Shining On, Great Heroes!**_


	18. Rank 2: Keep Shining On, Oh Great Heroes

_**A/N: Since the last two chapters were so long, I thought it was time for a short, low-key chapter or two to cool things off.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: Where did Ruri get Tyrant Neptune? It was a card she picked up in Academia; Leo had no problem placating her with some old cards they never use, and thought giving her cards would alleviate boredom. As for the Nightingale-Neptune strategy she used last chapter, that came from browsing online after being freed. As implied in Scale 10, Ruri browses Reddit.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: With everyone else in the Xyz Dimension, the other Lancers decide to hang out.**_

* * *

 _Dear Diary,_

 _My dad has his own room in Heartland Tower, and it's a floor above Yuzu's room, so we'll get to see each other whenever we want._

 _The Kurosakis live below, too. Shun and Ruri's parents talk to my dad sometimes; they all getting along really well. It's good to see that everyone can be happy and egao-ing._

 _My mom called my dad last night. They had an argument about something. I don't know what though. My dad asked me to step out and pick up some food. But he told me that they worked everything out, and that I didn't have to worry about anything._

 _We're going to visit Yuto's family sometime. I think it will be great for Yuto_ _to see them again._

* * *

The Sawatari estate was a grand piece of land. Located in one of the richest and most exclusive areas of Maiami City, it stood proud even among the other lands and homes of the area.

It was also on the other side of town. And on an abnormally hot spring day, walking there on food proved to be an arduous journey for Gongenzaka. But he wanted to take on a tough trial in order to truly earn what was waiting for him.

A pool party.

Sawatari posted e-vites to all his online followers, inviting them to join him at his pool party to cool off from the heat. But since two thirds of his followers were in the Xyz Dimension now, Gongenzaka was the only one able to attend. And although the pool would have be a great relief from the weather, the man Gongenzaka was largely going to keep Sawatari from being lonely.

It took about two hours to get there, but the man Gongenzaka finally reached the front the gold-plated gates of the property. A gate that towered over him, and had several sharp prongs at the top to deter trespassers.

And beyond the gate, he could see an enormous hill before he could even reach the house. Even Gongenzaka wasn't looking forward to more exercise.

There was a speaker next to the gate. Gongenzaka pressed the button underneath it and waited for an answer.

 _"GONGENZAKA, MY MAN!"_ came Sawatari's voice. _"THE GATE'S BROKEN, BUT YOU CAN JUST HOP OVER IT, RIGHT?"_

* * *

After twenty minutes, Gongenzaka manages to hop over the fence (just as it was fixed, by the by. It was fixed by a repairman, and opened just as Gongenzaka hopped over the other side) and was allowed entry inside the house. He changed into his swimming attire in a washroom, then went out to the back yard to swim in the pool.

The man was impressed by the back yard: it was enormous, which a white cobblestone patio that surrounded the large, rectangular pool. Chairs, a minibar, tables, and massage tables decorated the area. Some pool toys (noodles, floatation rings, boys, inflatable toys and chairs, and volley balls) were piled up by one of the pool's ladders.

The water itself was crystal clear, and gleaming in the sun. Sawatari was on the floating chair, waving his friend over. A clear bottle of soda rested in a cup holder on one of the arms of the chair, while a pair of gold-rimmed sunglasses rested on the top of the boy's head.

Gongenzaka walked over to the edge of the pool. He took hold of large, plastic floatation ring and put his feet through it.

"Glad you could make it, my main man!" Sawatari shouted.

He proudly lifted his drink up to his friend before taking a sip. "You read the poolside manners guide I sent you, right?"

Gongenzaka secured the ring around his waist. Now, he was ready to float in the water and enjoy some peaceful relaxation time.

"I did," he said to his friend. "And I thought you said we couldn't bring food and drinks into the pool."

"I said _you_ couldn't bring food and drinks into the pool," Sawatari explained. "It's my pool and I'm super responsible, so I can do what I want."

The man Gongenzaka grumbled in annoyance. But nevertheless, he still walked down the ladder and joined Sawatari in the pool.

It was right then that Tsukikage and Hikage, clad in their normal ninja garb, uddenly appeared by the edge of the pool.

Their sudden appearance shocked Gongenzaka enough to make him slip on the final step of the ladder. Luckily, his ring kept him from falling.

Sawatari looked over to the ninjas. He brought down the sunglasses on his forehead and flashed the duo an egao.

"Tsukikage!" he exclaimed. "And... other!"

"Hikage," Tsukikage's brother answered.

"Yeah that."

Tsukikage lunged forward and leapt high into the air and over the pool. He fell feet-first into the water, making a surprisingly small splash, and landed on the other end of the pool. He stood in the pool for a moment, before slowly walking over to Sawatari and Gongenzaka.

Hikage, meanwhile, chose to walk over to one of the lounge chairs on the patio. He took a seat on a plastic lounging chair, then leaned back and overlooked the people in the pool.

"Thank you for inviting us, sir Sawatari," Tsukikage said politely. "Your offer humbles us. We won't take your generosity for granted."

"So glad you answered by phone call, guys," Sawatari huffed. "But maybe if you followed me on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr or Twitter, I wouldn't have had to call you."

"Stop saying names," Gongenzaka said.

"But no. You follow Yuya. You follow Reiji. But neither of you follow _me_."

"My social media is strictly for business," Tsukikage said simply. "I only follow contacts and allies."

"We fought in a war together!" Sawatari cried.

"... We did?"

"This is pointless," Hikage stated. "Let us forget past transgressions and enjoy the party. I'm eager to get to know these people."

Sawatari nodded. "Right. Come on, guys. Let's party!"

Gongenzaka floated in the water, arms crossed. The water slowly made him dirft away from the others.

Tsukikage stood in the water. His face was soft and peaceful, suggesting to Sawatari that he was relaxed in what he was doing.

Hikage closed his eyes and put his arms behind his head. He also seemed at peace with what he was doing.

It was quiet. Too quiet.

"So, let's talk!" Sawatari shouted.

Awkward silence. Everyone just sort of sat, floated or stood in silence. For an uncomfortably long time. The most noise came from Gongenzaka coughing.

It was at this point that Sawatari realized how little time he spent with the ninjas brothers.

"So..." Sawatari said slowly. "Do you guys like... stuff?"

"What kind of 'stuff?'" Tsukikage asked.

"I don't know! What do gay ninjas like?"

"Well, I-" Tuskikage paused in his tracks. "What makes you think I'm gay?"

"Isn't the red one your boyfriend?"

"... That's my brother."

"We are brothers," Hikage added.

Sawatari's put a hand to his hair and pushed it back. "Ha! Single losers."

Nobody joined Sawatari in his laugh.

And for a moment, no one really talked. Gongenzaka merely floated in his floatie, Hikage sat in his lounging chair, and Tsukikage stayed perfectly still in the water, unmoving.

Sawatari bit his lip. So far, the party wasn't going as planned. If Yuya had been there, it would have been easier to get the fun started. But instead, he was stuck with three of the most untalkative people he knew.

"So, when you stab someone in the ne-"

"I noticed that you haven't even touched the water at all, Hikage," Gongenzaka stated. "and you're wearing a lot of layers. Aren't you burning up?"

 _Oh thank God, someone was talking now._ "Maybe he's tanning? Not everyone can hafford to buy a natural glow like mine."

Hikage turned his head away from the group. "I just don't care for swimming... I'm working on my tan."

"But you're in full ninja garb," Gongenzaka said. "Your face, and most of your body is covered up."

"Hikage cannot swim," Tsukikage stated. "And he's mildly afraid of drowning."

"I'm not!" Hikage snapped. "I- I am not. I am merely chosing to use my time to tan and relax."

Sawatari slammed his fist against the arm of his chair. His drink shook from the vibrations and slid right off the arm, into the water.

"All in favor of teaching Hikage how to swim?" he asked.

"Nay," Gongenzaka said flatly. "Leave him alone."

"Nay," Hikage said.

"... Yae," Tsukikage stated. "It's for his own good. He should learn how to swim.

"Two against four," Sawatari stated. "And my vote counts as double."

"And it would be more interesting than anything else going on here."

"Hey!"

"DOHOHOHOHOHO."

In a flash, Tsukikage disappeared from the water. The water barely splashed when he left, despite his sudden movements.

Hikage rose from his seet, turning his head frantically as he searched for his brother. And just as he turned around, his brother appeared before him.

Tsukikage pulled out two orange arm floaties from his back. With incredible, almost invisible movements, he slipped them over his brother's arms.

"Brother, you haveve betrayed me," Hikage said.

"No, I'm saving you," Tsukikage replied. "I don't want you drowning."

"I am not going into the water!"

"But you _are_."

Tsukikage pushed his brother backwards. Hikage's limbs flailed wildly in the air as he found himself falling down. His hands vainly grasped at nothing in an attempt to somehow grab hold of something to save him.

He slammed into the ground. He wasn't close enough to the edge of the pool to fall in.

"... Oops," Tsukikage muttered.

Sawatari let out a howling laugh.

Tsukikage just sort of... poked his brother with his foot, then rolled him over to the pool's edge.

* * *

 _ **A/N: "DOHOHOHOHOHO" is Tsukikage's laugh. It's a loud, sharp pitch and it can be very annoying. He doesn't like to use it much, but it'll sometimes slip out.**_

 _ **You might remember that Sawatari was hailed as a hero for his actions as a Lancer, and his popularity helped his father's career. So why does he have so few follows online? Partly because it's funny, mostly because he keeps deleting and remaking most of his accounts to have a "fresh start" and change his image up a bit. It makes it very hard to follow him.**_

 _ **Next time: The Tides of Fortune turn for Shingo Sawatari and Yuu Sakuragi.**_


	19. Rank 3: Tides of Fortune

_**A/N: Legacy characters, especially the protags and rivals, have been suggested to me by a few people. I was mostly just thinking of some AU chapters here and there, and I'm going to include a few other legacy characters into the plot, but the fact that a lot of people are asking for it makes me want to cover the them more. I already have a bonus chapter planned after Rank (it's about Yuri ice skating), but I'll try and plan some more bonus chapters around it.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: The Yu boys/bracelet girls are strongest in their own dimension, and can actually forcibly take control of the body for a long time. However, they usually respect their hosts enough not to do that.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: Yuu Sakuragi challenges Sawatari to a duel. Does he have what it takes to beat a Lancer?**_

* * *

The Maiami Championship's Battle Royal was infamous. Even after the war had ended, Maiami City still remembered the brave warriors who protected the city. The people who not only survived Academia's Invasion, but also conquered the Obelisk Force, would be recognized as heroes for years to come.

Forgotten were those who didn't succeed. Even those who still fought against the enemy, but lost, were never recognized.

Yuu didn't mind that last part too much; he couldn't stop Academia, and he ran away like a coward when things got too tough. If he would have been remembered, it would have been for being a coward.

Even though he was scared, he liked to believe that he still had the heart of a true duelist. And ever since that day, Yuu honed his skills. He trained almost every day. He studied Fusion Summoning to learn anything he could about its weakness. He spent his money on cards. And when LDS started to train people to become Lancers, Yuu signed up.

Still, the shame he felt was still in his heart. He had been carrying that weight for a long time now. But with the war over, he couldn't go out onto the field and fight. He had no way of reclaiming his honor or making up for his past mistakes. Everything he did to better himself meant nothing in the long run.

He recently had an idea, though. A small, fleeting thought that he hoped would put his mind at ease. He couldn't prove that he would have been a hero, but he could have proven himself better than them. If he was strong enough to defeat them, then he would have been strong enough to fight in the war, given the chance.

Yuu wanted to fight the strongest of the Lancers. Yuya Sakaki, the hero recognized through all the dimensions. Some saw him as a villain, after the Zarc debacle. But everyone recognized his skill and talent as a duelist.

But last he heard, Yuya wasn't in the Pendulum Dimension at the time. So Yuu decided to start from the bottom of the Lancer hierarchy and work his way to the top.

* * *

After school, Sawatari met Yuu in LDS's gymnasium. Although it was a lot smaller than a stadium, there was plenty of room to have an Action Duel. It was the perfect place for a private meeting, because sports were unsurprisingly unpopular among the students of a card game-based school.

Yuu sat on the first step of the bleachers, observing Sawatari as he entered the gym and sauntered over towards him. Sawatari had a big, goofy grin on his face.

"It's not every day that an upperclassman asks to duel me!" Sawatari said proudly. "Which is really weird, because I'm amazing and vibrant."

"Glad you could make it, Sawatari," Yuu said. "I was surprised that I could get you; you just sort of disappear after classes end, from what I hear."

"What can I say? I'm a busy man. Autographs to sign, places to see, people to visit..."

Therapists to meet.

"So, why'd you want a duel? I know I'm pretty good, but surely an autograph would be better; my penmanship is impeccable."

"I want to defeat a Lancer, and you were the easiest to get a hold of."

"I agree, I _am_ very approach- wait, what?"

Yuu rose up from his seat. "You remember the Battle Royal, right? I was there."

"At the stadium?"

"On the field. The Senior Youth class's top 8 were sent to help fight off Academia. But we failed."

Sawatari lowered his head. "I see. So you were carded, then?"

"No. A boy on a motorcycle saved me before that could happen."

"Oh. Fusion."

Yuu clenched his fists. "I was saved, but I ran away like a coward. Instead of fighting."

Yuu flung his arm forward, activating his Duel Disk.

"You guys became heroes, and I've been living in shame," Yuu continued. "But if I beat you, I'll know that I'd have been worthy of being a Lancer."

"Wh-what?" Sawatari gasped dramatically. "I'm confused! Fabulous, but confused!"

"I want to duel you! It's the only way to reclaim my honor for not fighting in the war."

Sawatari bit his lip and brushed his hair back. He let out a long, flat sigh of annoyance, much to Yuu's annoyance.

"I should have stood with you guys, when you entered the stadium after the invasion," Yuu continued. "I could have been great like you guys. But I wasn't."

"There's no glory in war," Sawatari told him. "It's just something they tell duelists so they'll risk their lives."

Yuu let out a small gasp. His eyes stayed on Sawatari, unblinking, but the boy's words caught him off-guard.

Smart words, probably. But in reality, Sawatari lifted those words from one of his favorite video games.

"Be glad you didn't have to go through what we did," Sawatari said austerely. "Prison, enslavement, risking being carded every day."

"I see," Yuu sighed. "But I still should have been out there, with you Lancers. I'm going to prove it."

"Did you not listen to a word I said?" Sawatari scoffed. "War is hell, and such-like."

"I can't live with myself if I can't prove myself," Yuu said. "So turn on your Duel Disk and let's rock."

Sawtari let out yet another long, annoyed sigh. He activated his Duel Disk and pointed it towards Yuu. "Fine, fine. Just count yourself lucky that I get how you feel, because-"

Their Duel Disks spoke: _"FIELD SPELL: CROSSOVER, ACTIVATE."_

"... Oh," Sawatari said. "Duelists locked in battle!"

"Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters," Yuu added.

"They storm through the field!"

"Behold! This is the latest and greatest evolution of Dueling."

"Action...

 _ **DUEL!**_ "

* * *

 **(Yuu: 1500 → 0)**

Yuu watched as the Solid Vision monsters faded from the field. Sawatari was gathering his cards and inserting them back into his deck, whistling a happy little tune.

Yuu turned off his Disk and made his way over to the younger boy. He was heartbroken over his loss, to say the least. But he tried his best not to let his face show it.

"Gee gee, no ree," Sawatari said. "That's cool gamer slang for 'you're really skilled and amazing.'"

"I lost," Yuu sighed. "All that training and work was for nothing."

"You did great, though!" Sawatari offered.

"But I lost," Yuu said bitterly.

"But you still did great," Sawatari said confidently. "Look, you should be proud that you were able to give ol' Sawatari a run for his money."

"But I didn't win. So I couldn't have been a Lancer, then."

Yuu cringed. "I tried my best, and this was as good as I could do. If I couldn't be strong enough now, I couldn't have been a Lancer, then."

"Hmm. Maybe, maybe not," Sawatari replied. "I don't know what you were like then."

"I couldn't be one now, either."

Sawatari repeatedly slammed his hand against Yuu's back. "Now, now! I wouldn't say that! You lost to one of the _strongest_ Lancers, after all!"

Yuu looked at the cards left in his hand. It was a bitter feeling, knowing that the cards brought him so far, but he couldn't do the same for them. He didn't even have the Lancers' signature Pendulums, because he wasn't worthy of them.

"Thanks for the platitudes, but I don't need them."

"They're not platypodes, you idiot!" Sawatari yelled. "Open your ears and listen to what I have to say!"

Yuu went silent.

"You're still a great duelist, so be proud of that!" Sawatari continued. "I'm not even in the Senior Youth class. Granted, that's only because I happened to face the one person strong enough to beat me..."

Sawatari glanced over at Yuu. Okay, so far his inspirational words didn't seem to be inspiring him. Time to get to the point.

"... But the way you're doing things is wrong. Living by your mistakes, dwelling on the past. Trust me, that's not how you want to live. Instead, think about strong you've gotten, and how much better you are than other people!"

"But I can't let it go," Yuu groaned. "You're all famous. And when I see you guys, I can only think of what I did wrong."

"How about this: think of the Lancers as your goals."

"I mean, I already kind of do that. I wanted to become strong enough to surpass you."

"Oh... Well, what about... thinking of us as friends?"

"I don't know anyone besides you, Shun and Reiji."

"Then what about this: shut up and stop correcting me."

Yuu grumbled, but otherwise went silent. This moment of peace allowed Sawatari to collect his thoughts and come up with something to say.

"Yuu, I know how you feel. I felt the same way. That I wasn't as good as the other Lancers, that what I did was pointless. Heck, I even trained hard, just like you."

Sawatari paused, waiting for any questions or gasps. Sadly, it looked like Yuu wasn't going to break his silence and express surprise in Sawatari's rare, rare moments of vulnerability.

"But I learned, completely by myself, mind you, that it feels good to have pride in what you did do, than what you couldn't do."

"I didn't do anything, though. That's the whole point-"

"You got stronger, and you learned from your mistakes. Don't you think you're way better off now than you were then?"

Yuu lowered his head for a moment. But after a moment of thought, he slowly rose to meet Sawatari's gaze.

"Be glad you're still alive, so you can keep becoming better and better," Sawatari said. "Fighting in a war isn't all that it's cracked up to be. But living long enough to see yourself grow that's more important than glory."

"Sawatari," Yuu said slowly. "I have a question,"

"Eh?" Sawatari questioned. "What is it?"

"Do you regret it? Fighting in the war? Risking your life?"

Sawatari looked away from Yuu. He slicked his hair back and made a small sigh.

"I'll be honest with you," he said quietly. "I still have a lot of stuff going on because of the war. I see a therapist for it, you know? I have... nightmares. Sometimes I get really paranoid when I see a Fusion Summon. When I close my eyes, I can see my friend... "

He turned back to Yuu. "But I don't regret it. I got those issues because I was helping my friends. Because I was protecting people, and the world I cared about. Because I know I was doing the right thing."

Yuu closed his eyes and sighed. And a small egao showed up on his face. "I think I would want to be a Lancer, then."

"Didn't you just hear me, idiot?!" Sawatari cried. "It's horrible and sucky! There's no glory in fighting!"

"I want to be like you!" Yuu responded. "To be a hero, and save people. If I improved, I want to use my new skills to help people."

Sawatari's draw dropped to the floor. His face turned a bright shade of red. And the corners of his mouth twitched, forming an egao.

"L-like me?" he gasped. "O-oh..."

While Yuu pressed his Duel Disk's screen, Sawatari cleared his throat. "Well, of course! It's only natural that you'd want to be like me. I'm cool, rich, _and_ popular. Glad I could inspire you, as I do countless others. You know, you'd be even more inspired by reading my b..."

Sawatari looked down at Yuu's Disk. He could see Yuu reading some sort of text message. From where he was, he couldn't make out what it said. But judging from the small smirk on Yuu's face, it must have been a good message.

"What's that?" he asked. "A text message?"

"Oh, I just got invited to hang out with Momoe," Yuu responded casually. "I'm going to meet up with her at the mall soon."

"Momoe Hamaguchi!" Sawatari gasped. "The hot transfer girl from Fusion?!"

"Yes, that's her."

Sawatari fell to his hands and knees. Inside his chest, his beating heart shattered into a million pieces.

"Whyyyyyyyyyyyy..." he groaned. "Why did she notice you, but not me? Can't she see how amazing I am?"

Yuu patted Sawatari on the back, then started walking away from the scene. Sawatari was left groaning over his loss. He won the game of love, but lost the game of girls.

Well, at least Sawatari had one new fan. And when he got home, he would find two new friend requests for his Facebook page: one from a random spambot, and another from Yuu Sakuragi.

* * *

"Mother, Father," Yuto whispered. "Thank you for everything."

Yuto placed one flower on the grave of his mother, and another on the grave of his father. He gave the stone grave markers a small pat, brushing off the thin layer of dirt and dust that had started to gather.

"I did my best to protect Heartland, and try to keep more people from dying. I couldn't save everyone, but..."

 _But you still saved people,_ Yuya told him.

Yuto paused. His eyes drifted over the engravings of his parents' names. Their family name was written above their given names, carved neatly into the stone.

"Right," Yuto said finally. "I grew up to be a good man, just like you taught. And now, Heartland's been saved. It's being rebuilt, and everyone's okay now."

Yuto ran a hand on the engraving of his mother's name. "I knew it would happen, because I knew you were always watching over me."

 _You had a sister, didn't you?_ Yugo asked.

Yuto shook his head. "They couldn't find her body, so she's not buried here. But I know she's gone... I can feel it in my heart."

 _I'm sorry, Yuto,_ Yuya said.

 _At least you have three brothers now,_ Yugo offered.

"That's true," Yuto said with an egao. "Mom, Dad. I have a family now. You know that, right? A mom, a dad, and brothers."

Yuya and Yugo both nodded. Yuri, however, kept himself further away from the trio. While the other three overlooked the graves, Yuri hid himself inside their body.

"I'll never stop missing you," Yuto continued. "And no one would replace you guys. But I want you to know that my new family's always there for me."

Yuto rose from the ground. He looked over the many grave markers in the makeshift graveyard. Many people lost their lives during Academia's attack or during the war. People who weren't carded, but got murdered or killed by the fallout of war.

"Let's go back to Heartland Tower," Yuto told his brothers. "We owe Dad that duel, remember?"

Yuto turned away from the graves and started walking away. The sun set behind him, casting a soft, comforting glow over him.

 _I'm part of the Sakaki family now. But I'll always be Yuto Tsukumo. That will never change._

* * *

 _ **Next time: There's friction between Yusho and his family, and Yuri is gonna Shock the Casbah when he gets involved.**_


	20. Rank 4: Shock the Casbah

_**A/N: Here's another chapter that's less comedic than normal. (But just as unfunny as normal, so don't worry.) It's like Scale 9, in that it's a story that needs to be told because it will be important later down the line. But Rank 5 will be a bit more comedic.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: Yuri hasn't spoken to Yuto since Scale 9.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: Yusho's absences cause friction for other members of the family.**_

* * *

When you're riding an elevator alone, you have some to enjoy the peace and think. Even Yuya, who had to share his body with his brothers, had introspective time.

They were coming back from visiting Yuto's parents. Yugo and Yuto had retreated deep into the mindscape to talk amongst themselves. Yuri's presence was felt by Yuya, but neither of them said a word to each other.

Yuya's thoughts were filled with joy. Because the second he would get to his place on the fifth floor, he would get to spend time with his father.

Although he would help in class, or observe Yusho and Dennis, Yuya didn't get to spend as much time with his father as wanted. Oftentimes, other people would need Yusho, or Yusho would have to work late to help others. Being such an important figure in Heartland meant that he was often busy; he would often come home to Heartland Tower late, and he rarely got the chance to visit his home dimension.

But not today. Because Yusho cleared his schedule just for his kids. They were going to have a duel, the four boys against Yusho. Yusho would have a turn after each boy's turn, giving Yusho more time and chances to make the duel even more fun. It was gonna be great!

The elevator came to a halt, and the doors opened into the hallway. Yuya immediately slipped out and power-walked right down the hall. He dashed towards the door to his father's place.

But as he approached the door, the knob started to shake. The door swung back to show Yusho Sakaki. Yusho took a step outside before noticing Yuya's approach.

"Yuya!" he said with an egao. "How was the visit with Yuto's parents?"

"It went well," Yuya assured him.

"Well, I'd be glad to talk with Yuto about it later, if he needs to."

"I think he's doing good right now. But I know a duel will make him feel a lot better!"

Yusho's egao softened into an uneasy smirk. "About that, Yuya..."

"What is it?" Yuya asked cautiously.

"I really want to spend time with you boys..." Yusho said slowly. "... But I'm afraid I'm going to have to put our duel on hold for now."

Yuya frowned. Without thinking, his hand clutched at the pendulum on his neck.

"Oh," he sighed. "Why?"

"I have to head to Heartland Peaches, the old strip club near the cemetery. The dance floor caved in during an act, and they need my help for the next few hours."

"What's a strip club?" Yuya asked.

Yusho's eyes briefly looked away from his son. He covered his mouth and let out a couple of loud, forced coughs.

"It's a club for... gentlemen... to... strip paint off of... _floors_ , so we can re-use them when we're building."

"Oh, can I come?" Yuya offered. "I don't know a lot about that stuff, but I'd love to come and help."

"No, no!" Yusho said quickly. "Your mother would kill me if she found out."

The man ran a hand through his son's hair, ruffling it up a bit. Yuya couldn't help but egao at the gesture.

"Don't be sad, son," Yusho told him. "I'll hurry back home as I can, so keep that egao going for me."

"Okay, okay!" Yuya laughed. "Go ahead. I'll go make some dinner for when you get back."

"Thank you for understanding, Yuya," Yusho said softly. "And I'm really sorry, boys."

"We'll be fine! Just go and do what you need to do."

Yusho nodded, and Yuya stepped aside to let his father go. As Yusho walked, the duo waved each other off, until Yusho faded from view.

Yuya sighed and walked into his father's door.

* * *

Yuya found himself deep within the center of mindscape, in the void that was surrounded by fog.

He could see Yuto and Yugo, standing and talking amongst themselves. Yugo leaned against an unseen wall.

"Yeah, hashtags are weird, I don't get them," Yugo admitted to Yuto. "But I guess I can see why they're important."

Yuto nodded. "They're tools to help us redpill the masses; start a trend and use them to expose the truth to-"

Yuya approached his brothers. He gave them a small wave to grab their attention.

"Hey, guys," he said.

"Oh, hey," Yugo answered. "We were just talking about Yuto's plan to expose Reiji."

"What?" Yuya asked. But then he shook his head. "You know, don't answer. I can see this is just going to go off the rails if I encourage it."

Yuto threw his head back. "The revolution will be recognized."

"Is it time to duel Dad now?" Yugo asked. "We're done hanging out now; I'm ready to go!"

"About that," Yuya started. "I need to tell you guys, Dad's-"

 _"Guten tag!"_ came a voice.

"Oh no," Yuto grumbled.

Yuya had been interrupted by the arrival of the fourth boy. Yuri started to materialize close by. He waved proudly to the trio, a deranged egao on his face. A few pieces of paper were clutched in his other hand.

"Yuya, Fusion!" Yuri called out excitedly.

"Holy hell, fruitpie!" Yugo roared. "Call me that one more time, and I swear I will run by bike over your damn head, you crappy shithead!"

"Yeah, that's great. Anyway, do you guys want to read my new story? It's called _Yoko: She-Wolf of the SS_."

"Do you just say bad things to get a reaction out of people, Yuri?" Yuto asked, sounding very austere. "Because none of us are buying it anymore."

Yuri just scoffed. "Yugo, wouldn't you like to read my story? I've made 73 puns about the Holocaust in the first chapter alone!"

"No thanks," Yugo responded. "What's the Holocaust?"

"Glad you asked! So, you remember in my last story, when Hitler and Yuriko-"

"So, Yuya," Yuto interrupted. "Aren't you supposed to be dueling our father right now?"

Yuya let out a small sigh, but kept an egao on his face. "Something came up, and he had to take a raincheck."

Yuri moved closer to Yuya, his arms crossed. Judging from his sour face and the scoff he made, he was annoyed by something.

"Geez," Yuri groaned. "You were looking forward to spending time with him, and he bailed. That's so lame."

"It's not his fault, Yuri," Yuya replied. "He's busy helping other people."

"And he never has time to help us? Fusion's been looking forward to dueling him again too."

Yugo turned his back to the others. "That's it! I'm getting my bike!"

Yugo took a running start into the fog, deeper into depths of the mindscape. He soon disappeared from view, leaving the other three still standing around. He didn't know it then, but running away from that situation was a great choice for him.

"That's so lame," Yuri said again. "You'd think Dad'd make time for his three heroic children and Fusion."

"Well, he's a busy man!" Yuya responded. "Remember, a lot of people need him, not just us. You have to understand that we can't just have him all to ourselves."

"Yeah, because we already have so much time with him when he visits for like week," Yuri said sarcastically. "And since we're visiting, we even get to five minutes of alone time a with him! _Wow, lucky us_!"

"He's trying his best, Yuri."

"And aren't dads supposed to be there for you when you need them?" Yuri protested. "He just puts everyone ahead of us. He doesn't seem to act a good father."

Both Yuya and Yuto's eyes widened. Both of them stared incredulously at Yuri, who just seemed rather annoyed and confused.

"Yuri, you're going over the line," Yuto told him. "Just back off and forget it."

"Yuya, don't you think I'm right? Mom spends time with us, but he doesn't. He's doing the opposite of what she's doing, and we know she's a good mom. So therefore..."

"Stop it, Yuri!" Yuya barked. "Just drop it, okay? You just don't get it!"

"I'm not saying he's a bad man!" Yuri said defensively. "Just that he's _acting_ like a bad father, and we deserve better."

The air was tense. Both Yuya and Yuri were fuming, but neither of them were willing to back down.

Yuto was also starting to grow angry. He had gone from a calm moment with his family at the cemetery, to a serious and stressful moment now. But he decided to keep cool and bite his tongue, so as to avoid letting his anger get the best of him. The last thing he wanted to do was escalate things further.

"You don't want to hear the truth, tomato," Yuri scoffed. "I'm telling you the reality of things, but you're too stupid and angry to get it. This is the man who abandoned you and Mom for three years."

"How about you shut up?" Yuya yelled. "You don't know what you're talking about, so just shut up about Dad!"

Yuri didn't say anything. He just let out a small, pissed off groan.

"He could have hated you for what you did to him," Yuya continued. "Instead, he accepted you as his son. But you're just so _ungrateful_ -"

"Hey, I'm only saying this because I care, idiot."

"But you _don't_ care, Yuri! Don't pretend you care!"

Yuri cringed, and a low growl escaped from his lips.

"You're just trying to play a sick game, as usual," Yuto grumbled.

Yuri didn't answer. He glared at Yuya, unblinking, to show that he wasn't intimidated by him.

"You just want to start something, get us fighting" Yuya added. "Or-or-or you want to make me upset, so you can take over and laugh about it!"

Again, Yuri didn't answer.

"I always try to defend you, Yuri!" Yuya said frantically. "But you just keep acting like an ass. You're not getting better, you're not becoming a better person. I know you're not a monster, but-"

"No, I _am_ a monster!" Yuri hissed. "So you better stay away from me, if you know what's good for you."

Yuya took a step back. Seeing Yuri's frustrated, reddening face made him realize Yuri's own, genuine anger. At once, Yuya felt most of his rage dissipate.

"Yuri..."

Yuri turned his back to Yuya. He slowly started to fade from Yuya's sight.

"W-wait, Yuri!" Yuya called out. "Wait, I didn't mean to lash out. I-"

Yuya reached a hand out to Yuri, almost expecting to grab hold of him. But his hand went through Yuri's back, and Yuri finally faded out of view.

"I'm sorry, Yuri..."

"Forget it, Yuya," Yuto said. "Yuri's not worth the effort. He will never change. "

* * *

 _ **A/N: A guest comments:**_ _"I'm kinda upset you skipped the entire duel between Sawatari and Yuu, mainly because Sawatari never won a single duel alone in the anime and I'm not counting the one in episode 7 since 99% of that duel was cut off too."_

 _ **Really sorry about that. I decided to skip this duel because we just had a small duel in Rank 1, And the next few chapters after this will be duels. I felt that it would have been too much dueling for those who aren't interested in those parts of the story.**_

 _ **But don't worry, because Sawatari will also get involved in a duel soon. And he could have more duels in bonus or AU chapters, if a lot of people want that.**_

 _"Also I saw how you gave Yuto the last name Tsukumo, which is last name of the protagonist in Zexal, Yuma. Part of me is glad that you killed him off as I never liked him anyway, and part of me is question how those 2 are related since their personalities are very different from each other, unless Yuto got a whole bunch of traits from mainly his Mother."_

 _ **That's a good question. But no, Yuma was not killed off. Since the protagonists don't appear in ARC-V when they logically should, I'm running with the idea that they simply don't exist in the ARC-V universe. Simply put, the Yu boys essentially replaced the original protagonists. That's not to say that past or future protagonists can't appear in some way or form, though.**_

 _ **So Yuma and Yuto aren't related. Yuto's parents are just alternate versions of Yuma's. As for why Yuto's was raised by the Tsukumo family...**_

* * *

 _EpicLinkSam asks: "So, judging from the last bit, I assume it's Yuri Yuki, and Yugo Fudo?"_

 _ **Short answer: yes and no. Long answer: Yuto is a Tsukumo because Mirai and Kazuma Tsukumo are his parents, much like how Yuya's parents are the Sakakis. When the dimensions split, and Zarc placed the kids in each dimension, they all took similar roles as past protagonists.**_

 _ **Yuto was raised by a family, much like Yuma. Yugo was raised in an orphanage without a family, and Yuri spawned in Academia.**_

 _ **Yusei at least had a family name, but Yugo never had that luxury. He was just always there in the orphanage. Like Rin and some other kids, they simply didn't have a known last name. Those kids were given "Fudo" as a last name (a name that originated from the orphanage's founder.) The name symbolizes that, although the kids don't have a family to look back on, they would have a family now. Usually though, any adopted orphans would go on to take their new family's surname, or use both names. Right now, Yugo has taken Sakaki as his last name.**_

 _ **Yuri's in a similar boat, though this differs from Judai's story a bit. According to Yuri in episode 123, Academia was all he's ever known. Academia simply just had Yuri there. He had no family or birth records, but thanks to Zarc's magic, no one thought much about it. For the sake of convenience, he was often just called by his student number. Like Yugo, he's since taken Sakaki as a last name.**_

 _ **Next time: The fifth dimension sends an envoy. Meanwhile, the Yu boys get a little jealous. Time to play a Requiem for Pendulum.**_


	21. Rank 5: Requiem for Pendulum

_**Fun Fact: A guest asked if the Yu boys/bracelet girls can duel their counterparts within the mindscape. As a matter of fact, they can. Within the mindscape, they can create nearly anything they want. From foods, to motorcycles, and to cards, they have it all. The boys even have their own private "rooms"to do as they please. Aside from the limited interaction with actual people, being inside the mindscape is probably way better than the real world.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: Reiji sends someone to deal with a new enemy, while Dennis makes Yuto jealous.**_

* * *

Tio had been called to the scene to investigate a new arrival to the Pendulum Dimension. A portal, not connected to the ones owned and operated under the Leo Corporation or Academia, had opened up near downtown Maiami City.

Only one person entered the dimension, according to cameras and censors. But their sudden arrival and threatening demeanor had caused a bit of panic.

He was lucky to have been nearby when he got the call, taking a nice walk home. Unluckily for him, he was the only agent of Reiji's in the area, and it would take some time for people to others to show up and offer back-up.

Tio ran past the screaming civilians as he made his way to the underpass. He came across the scene of the crime: a mysterious person with an activated Duel Disk, pointing its Disk menacingly. A few people stayed to watch, but they otherwise kept a safe distance from the threat. With human-sealing technology now being common knowledge, they were likely wary about intimidating duelists.

The threat in question was a person in a blue-and-black riding suit with a padded chest piece. It made their thin body seem bulkier around the torso; Tio could only assume it was to make the person seem bigger and more intimidating. Their hands were covered by gloves, and their head was hidden behind matching motorcycle helmet. No inch of skin was revealed, making identifying the person's identity that much harder.

Tio could hear Reiji's voice through his ear piece, _"Engage the target. Distract them and allow civilians to escape."_

"Now, ain't I lucky?" Tio mused. "I was just in the area when we heard the commotion. And I got to be first on the scene."

The person turned their head to him. "And who might you be?"

It was a feminine voice. So the person

"I'm Tio, of the Leo Corporation," the man answered. "We detected a dimensional portal opening up, and I was sent to investigate."

"Are you strong?" the woman asked. "I suppose I'll have to make an example out of you, then?"

Oh, a firebrand. Tio would have preferred someone who would go with him peacefully, instead of fighting. But no, he had to activate his Duel Disk and prepare for a duel.

"It's not too late to back down and talk this out," he told her.

"We're done talking," the woman responded. "I just want to get this duel over with, so I can go home."

"Civilians, back out and let me handle it."

The woman activated her Duel Disk. Sensing the oncoming battle, the civilians cleared the area. Soon, it was just Tio and his opponent, staring at each other from a safe distance.

Tio's Duel Disk spoke: _"ACTION FIELD... ERROR."_

Tio almost jumped back. He looked down at his Duel Disk's screen for answers, only to see a flashing "ERROR" message.

 _"FIELD ERROR."_

 _"The Action Field isn't equipped to deal with the new field,"_ Reiji told him. _"The field is 'wrong' to it, so it's assuming that the board is glitched."_

"So what do I do?" Tio asked.

 _"Just fight the enemy, observe what they can do. Reinforcements are on their way, and I'll be looking into other solutions."_

"Right, sir. I'll do my best."

 _"Do what you need to stay alive."_

Tio nodded, then turned his focus back on the mysterious enemy. She seemed unfazed by the error message.

"Read to go?" the woman asked.

"I'm ready," Tio responded.

 _ **"DUEL!"**_

* * *

The woman looked over the cards in her hand. With two slender fingers, she took hold of one card and placed it on her Duel Disk's blade.

"I activate the Field Spell, Trickstar Lightstage."

The ground started to light up, and the image of a rising stage lifted both Tico and the woman. Large flatscreen monitors encircled them, displaying images what they were facing. Hologram sparkles, hearts and flowers drizzled from an unknown source in the sky.

"When Lightstage is activated, I can add 1 _Trickstar_ monster from my Deck to my hand," the woman explained. "I add Trickstar Lilybell to my hand."

The woman put a hand to her Deck, and a card slid out from the middle of the deck. She grabbed the card and added it to her hand.

"When Lilybell is added to my hand, I can Special Summon it."

The woman placed the card on the blade, and the image of an angelic girl appeared on the field. She held out a large, baton-like bell, which she pointed at her enemy. **(DEF 2000)**

"Next, I summon Trickstar Candina."

Another card was slipped onto the blade, and another young girl appeared on the field. This time, it was an older-looking girl with blonde hair and a megaphone. **(ATK 1800)**

"When this card is Normal Summoned, I can add a Trickstar card to my hand," the woman continued. "I add Trickstar Lycorissica."

A card was ejected from the bottom of her Deck, and the woman added it to her hand.

"Is your whole deck just searching and searching?" Tio asked. "Searching means nothing when you don't have the power to back it up!"

"Lycorissica's effect! I can reveal it and target one _Trickstar_ monster I control!" she cried. "I can Special Summon this card, then return that card to my hand. And I target my Trickstar Candina!"

The woman pulled two cards from her hand, then turned them over to show Tio. They were _both_ Trickstar Lycorissica.

"I chain another Lycorissica, and they both target Candina."

Both cards were thrown onto the blade. Twin monsters were summoned on either side of Trickstar Candina. **(DEF 1200)** Candina then took off into the air with her wings, up high in the air. Eventually, she faded from sight.

"But that doesn't make sense!" Tio gasped. "You returned Candina to Special Summon one monster. How were you able to Summon _two_?"

"Simple: both cards targeted Candina, and their summons happened before Candina was removed from the field. Candina's removal is not a summon cost, but an effect that-"

"That sounds like major bull but okay."

"Well, it's not."

Tio gave the woman a skeptical look. "If you say so. _Buuuut_..."

"Shut up!" the woman barked. "Now it's time for you to see what I can do! I use Trickstars Lilybell and Lycorissica to Link Summon!"

" _What_ summon?" Tico gasped. "Mr. Akaba, sir! Are you reading this?"

Reiji leaned over his desk. he folded his hands and rested them under his chin. His eyes were glued to the screen, but showed no emotion.

"I'm watching, Tico," Reiji responded. "This isn't something I've seen before. Proceed with caution, keep the duel doing for as long as you can, and don't take any unnecessary risks."

Reiji glanced over to the field of workers below. They were sitting by monitors and frantically examining their new information, while a few typed away at their keyboards.

"Reiji, sir!" one of the workers shouted. "These readings-"

"Unlike anything we've seen before, but with powerful energy readings," Reiji said. "As is to be expected when dealing with a new Dimension's power. We've been through this before."

Reiji then rose up from his seat. He turned away from his desk and moved towards the elevator behind his chair.

"I'm stepping out," he continued. "Stream the duel to my Duel Disk so I can watch."

"Cower before the power you wanted to destroy!" the woman announced. "Take flight, my monster! Link 2! Trickstar Holly Angel!"

Taking to the field was another angelic woman, with large fairy wings and a flowing blue dress. She swung a large, flail-like weapon before settling down on the field. Notably, she stood ahead of Lycorissica, in the center of the field. **(ATK 2000)**

Tico looked down at the field. Holly Angel was in one of the two center Zones. The card's border was blue, and two red arrows pointed down at two Monster Zone columns beneath it. The monster had no DEF.

"What is this?" Tico asked. "Some sort of Ritual Summoning?"

"Don't be stupid," the woman said. "This is Link Summoning. The greatest, most powerful Summon of all time. Ritual Summoning pales in comparison to it."

"Then why is it blue? Couldn't you think of a different color?"

"Couldn't you think of a better insult than that?"

"I put more thought into it than whoever chose to design Links."

The woman seethed with anger. In a fit of rage, she pulled the helmet off of her head and dropped it to the floor, exposing her furious eyes.

It was a young woman, a fair-skinned girl with short, light brown hair and yellow eyes.

"Why are you trying to antagonize me?" she barked. "Is this some sort of trick to throw me off my game?"

 _No, it's some sort of trick to stall for time,_ Tico thought.

"What a cowardly thing to do. I set a card and end my turn," the woman concluded. "And next turn, you will see the power I wield. Prepare to see your life drain away."

The woman ended her turn with 2 cards in her hand. Her field consisted of Trickstar Lightstage, a set card, Trickstar Lycorissica, and a Trickstar Holly Angel in her Extra Monster Zone. Her Life points remained at 4000.

* * *

Tio started his turn with drawing a card from his deck.

"At this time, Trickstar Lycorissica's effect activates!" the woman declared. "Each time a card is added to your hand, you receive 200 points of damage for each card added!"

Tio cringed. He could feel his body burning up, his skin prickling and sweating from the heat. It wasn't a serious burn, but it was far from pleasant. **(Tio: 4000 → 3800)**

"When a Trickstar monster I control inflicts damage to you, you take another 200 points of damage!"

Tio let out a small yelp. The burning sensation had _just_ passed him, and now, he was hit with more pain. **(Tio: 3800 → 3600)**

"The show's still getting started!" the woman cried out. "When my opponent takes damage from a Trickstar monster's effect, Holly Angel gains ATK equal to that damage, until the end of this turn." **(Holly Angel ATK 2000 → 2200)**

Tio looked at the card he drew. _Echo Oscillation_. This would play well into his strategy, and ensure that he had the card advantage he needed to keep the fight going.

"With my Scale 2 Igknight Paladin, and my Scale 7 Igknight Veteran, I set the Pendulum Scales!"

Tio suddenly paused. He inspected the field curiously. And with a heavy gulp, he realized that there were no Pendulum Zones on the board.

"Wh-where are the Pendulum Zones?" he asked.

The woman smiled. She didn't egao, she _smiled_. It was a mischievous little grin that showed how satisfied she was with the question.

Tio had to think for a moment. There had to be a way to use these, right? This woman had the power to change the board, but that wasn't as difficult as making a whole mechanic illegal. Right? He didn't know much about this process, but that sounded bull to him.

He looked to his Spell/Trap Zone. Pendulums were considered Spells when set in their Zones. Maybe they were relocated there?

"Maybe... here..." he muttered. "Worth a shot."

He placed his Scales on the far ends of his Spell/Trap Zones. And to his absolute relief, the word "PENDULUM" sprang to life on his Disk. The monsters ascended above him in blue pillars, with their Scale numbers undearneath them.

Tio let a long, long sigh of relief. "Next, I activate Paladin's effect-"

"Trap, activate!" the woman shouted. "Trickstar Reincarnation!"

The face-down card sprung to life. It depicted Holly Angel, resting amongst a field of flowers.

"This card banishes your entire hand," the woman continued. "Then, you draw the same number of cards you lost."

"Ah?"

With some reluctance, Tio patted his hand into a nice pile, then slid the four cards into his Banished Zone. Then, he drew four cards from his deck.

"What's the point of that?" he asked. "It's annoying, but I don't see- _aargh!_ "

Tio clutched at his chest. The burning sensation returned, stronger than ever. He could feel his Life Points drain away from him. **(Tio: 3600 → 2800)**

"Remember, Lycorissica's effect means you lose 200 Life Points for every card you add to your hand!" the woman said happily. "And don't forget, Trickstar Lightstage inflicts more damage when my Trickstar monsters hurt you." **(Tio: 2800 → 2600)**

Tio knew he was in a bad situation. He barely got to do anything, and he already lost almost half of his Life Points. Prolonging the match seemed to be too much of a risk, or even an impossibility. He had to change his course.

"Trickstar Holly Angel's effect!" the woman declared. "You took an additional 1000 points of damage. Holly Angel gains that much ATK." **(Holly Angel 2200 → 3200)**

"Igknight Paladin's effect!" Tio announced. "If I have an Igknight card in my other Pendulum Zone, I can destroy both of my Scales!"

To the woman's surprise, the pillars of light shattered before her eyes, taking the monsters with them. She couldn't help but let out a small gasp in shock.

"Then, I can add a FIRE Warrior-Type monster from my deck to my hand. And I add another Igknight Paladin!"

Tio placed the destroyed Pendulums in his Extra Deck, atop the 15 face-down cards he had. A card ejected from the top of his deck, which he then added to his hand.

"But you now take damage!" the woman announced. "Lycorissica and Lightstage both inflict 200 points of damage to you."

Trio grunted. Taking the card into his hand meant that he could feel the burn. But he silently told himself that he had to endure the pain. **(Tio: 2600 → 2400 → 2200) (Holly Angel 3200 → 3400)**

"The pain is worth it," Tio growled. "With my new Igknight Paladin, and my Scale 7 Igknight Squire, I set the Pendulum Scales again!"

The Scales were set once more, and the pillars of light rose before him. A pendulum swung high above them, ready to bring down the monsters.

"Funny thing about Igknights..." Tio began. "They knock themselves down to get some reinforcements. But since they're Pendulum monsters, they get back up again."

The woman smiled wickedly once more. "Are you so sure about that?"

"Watch and learn, girl! I Pendulum Summon!"

Two lights fell from the pendulum's circle above. Dropping down before Tio was Igknight Veteran **(DEF 2700)** and Igknight Templar. **(DEF 1300)** Veteran stood right beside Holly Angel, but was facing a different direction.

"Wait..." Tio murmured. "There were supposed to be _three_ monsters."

Tio looked down at the field. Veteran's card was sitting in the second Zone in the middle of the field, while Templar was placed in a regular Monster Zone. Paladin was still face-up in his Extra Deck.

"Don't you know the rules?" the woman asked. Her question sounded sharp and condescending, and her face was sporting yet another wicked smile.

"What's going on?" Tio asked.

"Monsters you Pendulum Summon from the Extra Deck go into your Extra Monster Zone. So you can only Pendulum Summon one monster from your Extra Deck."

Tio's heart dropped. His eyes fell back on his Extra Deck. And he knew that, now, his strategy was ruined. he had a Level 6 and a Level 4 on the field. His Xyz strategy was ruined, and he was locked out of his deck's entire strategy.

One more, none of his monsters had the power to defend against Holly Angel, much less destroy it. Its attack would just rise again during his turn, thanks to her Trickstar effects.

"I... I can't do anything!"

"You destroyed your own cards, and you only hurt yourself," the woman said smugly. "This whole time, you were setting yourself up to lose. Your deck was working against you."

Tio looked at one of the cards in his hand: Heart of the Underdog. In any other duel, it would have been a great help. But using it would just set him up for more damage.

 _Maybe I could bluff my way out._

He was about to set the card, but stopped himself. No, he couldn't set it. He only had 3 Spell/Trap Zones left, and he couldn't risk clogging them up. He was already dealing with limitations, he couldn't afford to add more.

"I end my turn..." he said ruefully.

"At this time, Holly Angel's attack returns to normal," the woman spoke. **(Holly Angel 3200 → 2000)**

Tio ended the turn with 4 cards in his hand, his two Pendulum Scales on the field, Igknight Veteran in his Extra Monster Zone, and Igknight Templar in one of his Monster Zones.

* * *

"All of my cards are built around slowly burning my enemies," the woman explained. "Adding cards to your hand will burn you. Activating Spells and Traps could burn you. There's nothing you can do, your own actions will destroy you."

Tico let out a small, anxious sigh. The odds of him winning were slim, and it looked like his time was running out.

"You're vicious," he grumbled.

The woman lowered her head and quietly said, "I'm just defending myself."

The woman drew a card from her deck, then added it to her hand. Her hand now consisted of three cards.

"I Summon Trickstar Candina back to the field," the woman declared.

A familiar yellow being descended back onto the field. She floated down to her own place: a Monster Zone just left of Trickstar Holly Angel.

"At this time, Holly Angel's other effect activates: each time a Trickstar monster is Summoned at this card's Link Point, I inflict 200 damage to my opponent. And Candina lets me add another Trickstar Lycorissica to my hand."

Tio stumbled back in place. The burning once again returned. And after already exhausting his body with these burns, he was struggling not to collapse. **(Tio: 2200 → 2000)**

"No..." the man wheezed. "Not like this... Mr. Akaba, I need to hold on!"

"And since you took damage from a Trickstar, Holly Angel gains ATK." **(Holly Angel 2000 → 2200)**

He looked back to the woman. Again, she looked rather pleased with the pain she was inflicting. She just stared back at him with another mischievous look.

"Lightstage inflicts another 200 points of damage because of Holly Angel's effect," the woman added. **(Tio: 2000 → 1800)**

Tio felt the burn again. The previous pain still flowed through him when this extra damage was inflicted.

"I'm... slowly..."

"I'm not done! I Special Summon a Trickstar Lycorissica fro my hand!"

a Lycorissica appeared on the field, in the Monster Zone that was connected to Holly Angel's Link Markers. Candina let out an annoyed sigh. But she obediently flew back into the sky, rising until the was out of sight.

"At this time, Holly Angel's other effect activates again. Since Trickstar monster was Summoned at this card's Link Point, I inflict 200 damage to my opponent. This makes Holly Angel gain another 200 ATK, and Lightstage is triggered again."

 **(Tio: 1800 → 1600 → 1400) (Holly Angel 2200 → 2400)**

Tio was panting now. He fell onto one knee and clutched at his jacket. Sweat was dribbling down his forehead, falling down onto the cards in his hand.

The woman's smile faded. She turned her eyes away from Tio and brought them to the cards in her hand. "Try to hold on a bit more, okay? I'm not done."

"Are you-" Tio gasped. "D-don't mock me... I can handle... anything you throw at..."

"I play a final Spell Card: Hand Destruction."

The woman placed a card on her blade. The card materialized onto the field, and the Sasuke Samurai depicted on the card lunged out of the picture.

"...me," Tio finished.

"Each player sends two cards from their hand to the Graveyard," the woman said. "Then, we both draw two cards."

The woman placed the remaining two cards in her hand in the Graveyard. Tio slowly rose up to stand, then took two cards out of his hand. He held them just above his Graveyard.

"This is going to hurt, isn't it?" he said weakly.

"That's why they sent me," the woman replied. "I'm here to hurt people, to scare them."

Tio flashed her a weak egao. "Bring it."

He placed the two cards into his Graveyard, and both he and the girl drew two cards from their decks.

"The effects of my two Lycorissica activate," the woman said. "They both inflict 400 points of damage."

 **(Tio: 1400 → 1000 → 600)**

"Holly Angel gains attack equal to the damage you gained..."

 **(Holly Angel 2400 → 3200)**

"... And Lightstage activates."

 **(Tio: 600 → 400 → 200)**

Tio fell onto his knees, then dropped to the ground. He panted heavily. Sweat was pouring down his body, and his jittery hand desperately clung to the cards he was holding. He couldn't even find the energy to raise his head and look up at the duel, or even to his opponent.

"I'm going to give you a choice," the woman called out. "Either I destroy your monsters and attack you directly, or I end my turn, and let your draw finish you off."

Tio couldn't answer. He struggled to even stay conscious. He could make out the stranger's words, but he could only barely comprehend them.

"It doesn't matter to me," she said. "You lasted this long, so you deserve to choose how you want to go. Just... just don't try and fight back anymore, okay?"

 _I'm sorry, Mr. Akaba,_ Tio thought. _I couldn't win for you._

"I choose..." Tio stammered. "I choose... to fight. Keep the duel... keep going."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "So you want to take the hard way out? Alright, then..."

* * *

The duel was over. Tio lay on the ground, defeated. His Disk was deactivated, and his cards were strewn around him. Finding himself too weak to keep them open, he let his eyes close.

The Solid Vision monsters faded from the field, but the woman's Duel Disk remained active. She approached the man slowly, holding her Disk in front of her.

"... I'm sorry," she said. "That I didn't explain the rules. But I had to do what I had to do."

The woman knelt down before him and grabbed hold of his cards. She gathered them, piled them up neatly, patted them down, and then slowly slid them onto the top of his deck.

"Real duels aren't always fun," she said. "But neither is war. And-"

The sound of footsteps. The woman rose up to find the fast approach of several men in black suits. Like a swarm, they quickly ran forward and surrounded the woman in a tight circle.

She looked all around her. The men gave her and her opponent some breathing room, but there seemed to be no way to break through their circle. Running away on foot wouldn't be an option.

She looked back down at Tio. To her surprise, two ninjas grabbed him by each arm and lifted him up. The three of them rose to their feet, then vanished without a trace.

 _This isn't good,_ the woman thought.

She deactivated her Disk's blade and focused on the screen. She typed at the touch-screen buttons and shifted through her programs.

She pressed a final button. Her Disk enveloped her with a bright light, and the sound of blowing air rushed through the device.

"I think it's time I take a break," the woman told everyone. "I think I made my point for now."

And then the light faded. The noise stopped. The woman hadn't moved an inch.

"What? What happened?!"

The sound of footsteps. Some of the men broke their perfect encirclement to allow another man to walk into the circle.

The woman stared at the newcomer, confused. He seemed to be around her age, and a little bit taller than him. His eyes, held behind a pair of red glasses, seemed to see right through her.

"I've seen you before," the woman said under her breath.

"We've learned to cancel signals," Reiji explained. "We can open and shut down dimensional portals as we please. And now that we know your dimension poses a threat, we'll stop any attempt that tries to connect that world with ours."

"You're kidding...!" the woman gasped.

"You can't escape," Reiji concluded. "Your only way out is to defeat me in a duel. If you win, I'll allow you to return home."

The woman scoffed. "You're a sneaky one, trapping me and forcing me to fight for my life. Guess I don't have much of a choice here."

Reiji activated his Duel Disk and aimed it forward. The woman did the same. And the crowd of LDS agents backed away to give the duelists some room.

"I'll even use your special field," Reiji continued.

"How brave of you," the woman replied. "Foolish, but brave. Prepare to lose."

The woman didn't know it, but the second that she agreed to duel Reiji, she had walked into his trap. Reiji had already devised a plan to not only defeat her, but to figure out all the information he needed.

 _ **"DUEL!"**_

* * *

Heartland Tower, Xyz Dimension

When someone knocked on Sayaka's room door, Ruri was quick to head over to the door and open it. She was greeted by the egao-ing face of a tall young man.

"Hello, Ruri," Dennis said warmly.

Ruri egao'd back. "Dennis! What brings you here?"

Dennis put a hand behind his back. Then he pulled his hand back out and produced a bouquet of blue roses. He presented them to Ruri.

"I was hoping we could talk a bit more," he said. "I want to do anything I can to be your friend."

Ruri gracefully took the bouquet into her arms. She pressed them up against her chest.

"Can I come in? I-if you and Sayaka are okay with it."

"Sayaka's not home right now," Ruri told him. "Train convention. But I'm sure she won't mind if you stop in for a while."

Dennis let out a small chuckle, then followed Ruri inside. Once Dennis entered the room, Ruri grabbed the door and slowly slid it shut.

And Yuto watched all of it. He was peeking from the stairwell nearby, watching the entire exchange. His bosy was shaking, his face was red, his eyes were bulging, and he was biting hard on his lower lip. He let out a high-pitched, frustrating grunt noise.

 _"NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGH-RRR-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-"_

Yuto blinked, and his eyes turned red. Yuya had slipped into control of the body.

"Yuto, where are we- wait, why does my mouth taste like blood?"

 _YUYA! I've been woke! I was walking back to our place when I stumbled onto something we were never meant to see. And I_ don't _like it._

 _That's not true, Yuya,_ Yugo said. _Yuto_ _was't just walking by. He was spying._

"You know, how about I don't ask, and you can just believe whatever you want to believe?"

 _No, Yuya!_ Yugo shouted. _I was watching with him. Dennis is putting the moves on Yuto's girlfriend!_

"Wh-"

 _Yuto's a cuck._

 _He could be putting the moves on Rin, too,_ Yuto said. _The girls share a body, remember?_

 _Yuto is right, this is horrible!_

 _Right. So first, we need to get some rope. Then we-_

Yuya rubbed his temples. "First, we turn back around and walk back to Dad's place. Then we mind our own business and play a video game."

 _What a stupid plan,_ Yugo groaned. _How do we get revenge that way? Sometimes you don't think things out, Yuya._

"We're not getting revenge, Yugo."

 _You know, Yuya,_ Yuto started. _You may be fine with the break-up, but that doesn't mean Yugo and I are fine with it. We have a right to be jealous here._

Yuya sighed. "I'm really sorry, guys. But you have to understand, it'd be painful if we all dated and hurt Serena. Remember, Serena is part of Yuzu, too. And Ruri, and Rin."

 _What if Yuzu's dating Dennis?_ Yugo questioned.

Yuya didn't answer. Yuto and Yugo both felt a sudden chill in the air. A cold, oppressive feeling came over the trio.

 _We need to go up to the door and listen in,_ Yuto told them. _Then we can hear what Dennis is doing, and make sure he's not hurting them somehow._

 _Or we can bust down the door and run him over with a bike,_ Yugo suggested.

 _How would we get your bike up all the stairs, though?_

 _Oh yeah. Don't worry, just leave it to me and I'll think of something._

 _That would help a lot, thanks._

"Dennis is a good guy!" Yuya said hastily. "Come on, we can trust him around Yuzu and the others."

Yugo folded his arms. _If you_ say so _. I mean, he_ seems _cool, I_ guess _._

"Enough with the suspicious italics. Dennis is our friend. We can't turn on him just because we're jealous."

 _I'm not jealous!_ Yuto protested. _I'm just wary for Ruri's safety._

 _And I just want to see Dennis jammed underneath my wheels,_ Yuto said.

 _Let's just listen in to see-_

"It's not our business, what they're doing!" Yuya announced. "If they're just friends, great! If they're actually dating Dennis... it's not our job to interfere, and we should let them be happy."

" _Fiiiiiine_ ," Yugo sighed. "But I don't have to like it!"

"And we pretty much _have_ to push him down the stairs when he leaves, right?" Yuto asked.

"Well, _of course_ ," Yuya responded. "But only a couple of steps. Five, at the most."

* * *

 _ **A/N: I actually don't mind VRAINS. I hate many of the new rules introduced into the game, but I'm going to try and head into VRAINS and the Links era with an open mind.* That doesn't mean I can't have a little fun when I'm trying to incorporate Links into the fic, though.**_

 _ **You're probably wondering why Tico's Duel Disk could accept the new field, but couldn't activate an Action Field. You see the Solid Vision system that handles the Action Field is different than the system that handles the board field. The latter system can easily adapt to any changes, as the Pendulum Dimension has other types of duels. (Speed Duels, for example. Those only use 3 Monster Zones, and 3 Spell/Trap Zones.) That part is easier to set up, since it's mostly just moving around or adding/removing columns.**_

 _ **However, because of how extensive the Action Duel system is, the system needs to be prepped with these new fields ahead of time. They need to calculate a new field and area to work with, look into what kind of Action Cards can and can't work with it, and other details. Reiji could theoretically work through this issue, but it would take some time.**_

 _ **On another note: I believe Lightstage's burn effect would trigger before Holly Angel would get her ATK-boosting effect. But since it doesn't really matter which part happens first, I decided to take some creative liberties in order to improve the flow of the duel.**_

 _ **Next time: The Eternal Struggle of romance rears its head once more. It's a four-on-four free-for-all when the boys and girls decide to brawl.**_

 _ *** I'm lying. I'm actually bitter as fuck.**_


	22. Rank 6: The Eternal Struggle

_**Fun Fact: Yuri and Yugo have both made fun of Futoshi behind his back.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: The Yu boys face off against the bracelet girls in a duel.**_

* * *

May 10th

Yuya's time in the Xyz Dimension was almost up. In a few more days, he would have to return to his home in the Pendulum Dimension. Luckily for him though, Yuzu had also chosen to extend her visit, so they could leave together.

But while they didn't go to school, they still had their homework. Given to them ahead of time, the boys would spend every day doing as much as they could to get work done. It was dull, but having four minds on the job made doing the work a lot easier.

Well, two minds. Yuri refused to help, and Yugo only showed interest in art.

Luckily, they had almost completed their work. Yuya was just about done with his Duel Theory homework, though he was interrupted by a knock at the door.

Yuya rose from his desk and walked over to the door. He opened it and egao'd the person on the other side.

"Yuzu, hey!" he said cheerfully. "Wait... _Serena_? Those are Serena's eyes."

Serena couldn't help but blush a the comment. She balled her hands into fists and lowered her head in shame. She didn't want Yuya to see her off-guard like this...

"I... I w-want to talk to Yugo a sec!" she stammered.

Yuya nodded. After a moment of silence, his eyes changed into a deep blue, and the egao grew into a large , cheeky grin.

" _Riiin!_ " Yugo exclaimed. "Rin, it's y- oh wait, those are Serena's eyes."

Serena's head rose up. Her face became softer, and her embarrassing blush was gone. her body started to let go of the tension she had built up.

"Yugo, I'm here for a duel," she said to him.

"Can't. I'm watching Yuya do our homework."

"It's important. I need to have a duel with Yuya right now."

Yugo's eyes shifted back to red. "Eh? What's wrong, Serena?"

Serena blushed again. "Yuya, get out of here! I'm not talking to you?"

"Eh?" Yugo groaned. "Why me?"

"You see, it's about the... how should I... hmm."

Serena folded her ams and looked back down on her feet. Seemed to Yugo that cat got her tongue.

This time, Serena's eyes changed color. As Rin took control of her body, the eyes changed from green to orange.

"Serena wants to duel and defeat Yuzu," Rin explained.

"Riiiin!" Yugo eclaimed.

He wrapped his arms around Rin. Rin was at first surprised, but instead chose to return the hug. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

It was a long moment before anyone spoke. This time it was Serena. "... Why are you touching me?"

Serena pulled herself out of the hug and pushed Yugo back. He grabbed hold of the door knob to keep himself from falling to the ground.

"Rin was taking too long, so I took over again," Serena explained. "But she's right; I want to defeat Yuya."

"Why him?" Yugo scoffed. "Why not me?"

"Because my attraction largely comes from his strength."

"... _Oh_?"

Yugo straightened himself up and leaned in. Yuri appeared beside him, and the two of them looked at Serena with sassy little smirks. Yuto and Yuya, however, hung back and crossed the arms.

"Do go on," Yugo said.

"I think that, when I defeat him, I'll see that he isn't as strong as I made him out to be," Serena continued. "And I'll feel more in-control."

"And what if you lose?"

"I won't."

"But _what if_?"

"I. _Won't_."

Yugo pulled himself back, and his eyes became gray. Sensing the change in management, Yuri also chose to fade away from the situation.

"Feelings don't work like that," Yuto said. "A duel can't make your feelings work how you want."

"... It's worth a try," Serena replied.

"I accept," Yuya said.

"Yuya! I'm not talking to you!"

"But-"

"Get out of here!"

Both of their eyes changed color. Yuto slipped back in control of Yuya's body, and Yuzu reclaimed hers.

"How can she even duel him if she can't even talk to him?" Yuto asked.

"Hey, Yuto."

"Ruri."

"Yugo?"

"... Wait, I'm Yuto."

" _I'm_ Yugo!" Yugo barked.

"Even I got confused there," Yuto admitted. "As we were saying... _Yuzu_?"

"Oh, right!" Ruri said, tenting her fingers. "Yuzu had an idea to get around that."

"I can fight!" Serena scoffed. "I can always fight, no matter how I feel."

"Yuzu had the idea that we could _all_ duel each other," Ruri continued. "It would give us all a chance to hang out and have fun."

"It would be more fun than a duel between Yuya and Serena," Yuzu said.

"Ruri?" Yuto asked.

"No, that's Serena," Yugo interjected. "No, wait. Damn! That's Yuzu."

"... Anyway," Yuzu went on. "We'll all duel. And instead of Serena railing against Yuya, we could all duel, have fun with each other, and help Serena as a group."

"I don't need help!" Serena growled. "And I said that I'd only agree to that if I got to kick Yuya's ass."

"You'll be able to kick all their asses at once," Rin offered.

"... You... Hmm... Good point."

"Well, I'd love to duel," Yuto responded.

"It would be a great break from homework," Yuya agreed.

"Sounds sweet," Yugo said. "But I'm not going easy on you because you're a cuck."

Yuri nodded. "Ya. We can't know if what's-her-face is really the strongest if we just let her win. I think we should destroy all hope she has, then work from there."

"Ew, it's Yuri," said Rin.

"Ew, it's a huge bitch."

"I just said that, didn't I?"

"I also agree to a duel," Yuri said finally. "There, it'll be my turn to bring the entertainment. Let's see you smile then."

"I'll be smiling when I win, yes!" Rin barked.

Yuri gasped. "Oh, that would be a surprise twist ending wouldn't it? Especially since I defeated you last time we fought."

* * *

Thanks to Ruri and Yuto's guidance, it only took about half an hour for them to reach the Heartland Academy's Spade Branch. Or where it _used_ to be, to be precise.

While other branches of the Academy were still up and running, to varying degrees, Heart Branch was completely demolished. The area had since been cleared of rubble, leaving a large, empty lot. One day, the Heart Branch would be remade there. Until then, it was plans were being drafted to make an apartment complex.

Yuya and Yuzu stood at the center of the lot. Surrounding them were their counterparts, who were all eagerly waiting to start the duel.

But first, they needed to know how this would go down.

"Here are the rules," Yuzo told them. "We will each have a turn to duel. After you have your turn, and your opponent's next turn, you will switch with another person."

"Be sure to remember the order," Yuya added. "First it's Yugo, then me, then Yuto, and then Yuri."

"For us, it'll be Ruri, then Serena, then me, and finally, Rin."

"If the duel lasts longer than that, then we'll just go abck to Yugo and Ruri and continue the chain."

Yuto, Yugo, Serena, Rin and Ruri all nodded. Yuri simply crossed his arms and tilted his head down.

"Remember the goal is to have fun," Yuya explained. "It's not about winning, but having a good time and letting the bad feelings pass you by."

 _That's_ your _goal, not mine,_ Serena thought. _I'm going to kick four asses at once._

Their Duel Disks spoke: _"FIELD SPELL: CROSSOVER, ACTIVATE."_

 _Four asses._

"Duelists locked in battle!" Yuya shouted.

 _Eight cheeks._

"Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!" Yuzu announced.

"They storm through this field!" Yuto cried out.

 _And all of them are going to be kicked._

"Behold!" Ruri declared. "This is the latest and greatest evolution of Dueling!"

"Action!" the eight of them shouted.

 _ **"DUEL!"**_

* * *

Yugo placed a hand on his deck. He could see Yuya, Yuto and Yuri press their hands on the deck with him, lending him their power. All four of them drew the first five cards from the top of the deck.

"I'm the first one to move!" Yugo declared. "I play the Spell Card, Cup of Ace!"

Yugo slammed a card onto his blade. The card was projected onto his side of the field, displaying the image of a golden chalice.

"I flip a coin. If it's heads, I draw two cards. But if it's tails, _you_ draw two cards."

"That's a big risk," Ruri said. "Are you sure you want to take it, Yugo?"

Yugo sneered. "The best fun comes from risking it all. You gotta live on the edge sometimes!"

A large gold coin poured out from the card image. It flew high in the air, spinning as though it was flipped.

 _Come on, tails!_ Rin cheered. _Whoo!_

Serena, who had been observing the duel over Ruri's shoulder, egao'd. It only just started, and she was dying to see how her opponent's play would turn out.

The coin stopped gaining air and started to fall down. It twirled downwards, gathering speed until it crashed into the ground. Both Ruri and Yugo leaned forward to get a look at the results.

Heads.

"Whoo-hoo!" Yugo cheered. He was quick to pull the two two cards from his deck.

Serena groaned. _Ugh! Let's hope the next coin toss is on our side._

Yugo grabbed a card from his hand and presented it to his opponent. . "If I control no monsters, I can Special Summon Speedroid Terrortop from my hand!"

He placed a card on the middle of his blade. Rising from the ground was a large spinning top with jutted scythes on the side. Similar tops poured out from the ground, forming a long line behind the original. **(ATK 1200)**

"When Terrortop is Summoned, I can add a Speedroid to my hand."

A card ejected from the deck, and Yugo was quick to snatch it up and add it to his hand.

"I add Speedroid Taketomborg to my hand," he continued. "And when I control a WIND monster, I can special summon it!"

The monster appeared on the field as a traditional taketombo. But its body unforled and changed its shape, taking the form of a humanoid robot with bug-like eyes. **(DEF 1200)**

"He summoned two monsters, and he hasn't even used up his Normal Summon," Ruri said.

 _He's not done yet,_ Serena told her.

"Taketomborg's effect!" Yugo declared. "I can Tribute this card to Special Summon a Speedroid Tuner from my Deck!"

Taketomborg returned to its toy-like shape, and its blades started to spin around wildly. A green wind swirled around its body, obscuring it. The storm grew and grew, until Yugo's side was completely blanketed.

And then, almost as quickly, the wind started to fade. Soon, the Yugo's side of the field was almost completely cleared, and Taketomborg was replaced with Speedroid Den-Den Daiko Duke. **(ATK 1000)**

"I tune my Level 3 Terrortop with my Level 3 Den-Den Daiko Duke!"

The Dyke floated above the field. Its body dissolved into three green circles, floating and spinning before each other. One by one, the pieces of Terror top jumped into the circles. Their bodies joined together into one blob of white light, then broke into three orbs.

"Magical sword with the form of a cross. Use your power to rend all enemies! Synchro Summon! Appear now! Level 6! Hi-Speedroid Kendama!"

The orbs and circles joined together to create a new form. Appearing on the field was a sword-like monster, blue in color. Its red eyes stared absently at the bracelet girl before it. **(ATK 2200)**

 _Only 2200 ATK,_ Ruri mused. _It must have a strong effect to back it up._

"Kendama's effect! I banish Speedroid Terrortop from my Graveyard to run you over with 500 points damage!" **(Ruri: 4000 → 3500)**

Yugo placed another card on the field. Summoned before the girls was a large yellow die. A large red eye opened at the front, and six red, glowing balls circled around its body.

"I used my Normal Summon to call Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice," Yuto explained. "And I'll tune my Hi-Speedroid Kendama with it!"

Second verse, same as the first. Red-Eyed Dice became the rings, and Kendama became the orbs. They all flew high into the air, where they joined together to create a new form.

"Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings, and strike down your enemies at the speed of light! Synchro Summon! Appear now! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

Descending to the field was Clear Wing. It let out a mighty, loud roar as it flew down. The dragon landed right in front of Yugo and looked back at him.

"Hello, my friend," Yugo said, egao-ing. "Ready to kick some ass together?"

The dragon responded with another roar. To which Yugo nodded.

"Well, we're not going to, 'cuz we don't have a Battle Phase yet. I set one card faced down and end my turn. Let's see how you go, Rin."

Yugo placed a card on the field, face down. He ended his turn with that card and Clear Wing Synchro Dragon on the field, and three cards in his hand. His Life Points remained at 4000.

"Crap, I mean _Ruri_!"

* * *

Ruri drew a card, then added it to her hand.

 _Hang in there, Ruri_ , Yuzu said. _Yugo doesn't play a burn deck, things like Kendama's effect won't be common. But watch out for strong monsters and effects._

 _Don't just try to overpower him,_ Serena advised. _Clear Wing has the power to really hurt you if you try and target it with effects._

 _Oh, I don't need to worry about Clear Wing,_ Ruri told them.

"If I control no monsters, I can Special Summon Lyrilusc - Turquoise Warbler from my hand."

Ruri placed a card on her blade. Taking flight into the field was a small humanoid girl in yellow, with talon feet and wing-like hands. **(ATK 100)**

"When Turquoise Warbler is Special Summoned from my hand, I can Special Summon a Lyrilusc from my hand or Gravayard," Ruri continued. "And I Summon Lyrilusc - Sapphire Swallow."

Ruri placed another card on her blade. Flying onto to the field was a another bird girl. A blue-haired, blue-eyed girl in a blue bird outfit hovered in the air beside Turquoise Warbler. **(ATK 0)**

"Then I Summon another Lyrilusc - Turquoise Warbler from my hand."

Ruri placed a third card on her blade. A second Turquoise Warbler joined the flock on the field, positioning itself right next to Sapphire Swallow.

"She summoned three monsters in one turn!" Yugo commented. "Alright! Go, Ruri!"

 _Yeah, don't cheer_ too _loud now,_ Rin thought to herself.

"That's go cool!"

 _Ruri, destroy him!_ Rin commanded.

 _Ruri, destroy him,_ Yuto thought.

"For my next move..." Ruri started. "I overlay my three Lyrilusc monsters."

A black hole opened in the middle of the field. One by one, the little birds flew inside it. The hole's outer ring started to fold into the rest of the hole, creating a strange, warped cocoon.

"Birds with beautiful wings! Gather on the battlefield and take brilliant flight! Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky! Rank 1! Lyrilisc - Assembled Nightingale!"

The cocoon shattered. Rising from the broken pieces was a woman. Her dress and sleeves flowed in multiple colors, and her talon feet gracefully touched the ground. Three Overlay Units orbited around her body. **(ATK 0)**

Yugo scratched the side of his head. "Eh? 0 ATK? But you spent three cards bringing it out."

"This card gains 200 ATK for each Overlay Unit attached to it," Ruri explained. "And it can attack up to the number of Overlay Units attached to it." **(ATK 0 → 600)**

"You should check your math there, Ri... _Ruri_. 600 is a smaller number than 2500."

Yuto appeared by Yugo's side, egao-ing. _Ruri plays by her own rules here. Start running._

Yugo nodded. He was confused, but he nodded. And he started taking off in another direction, towards one of the floating platforms provided by the Action Field.

"So you know what comes next!" Ruri called out. "Assembled Nightingale can attack directly!"

"Huh?"

Yugo turned his head to look back at Ruri. And as he did, he was assaulted by a kick to the face from her monster. He slammed into the platform ahead of him, knocking him to the ground. **(Yugo: 4000** **→ 3400** )

Yugo felt something smooth on the ground, resting in his hand. He raised his arm up to see an Action Card. Lucky!

Assembed Nightingale rose up into the sky, then dove down at Yugo. Her talons were bared at him, threatening to bash him once more.

"Action Spell - Evasion!" Yugo declared. "Your next attack is negated!"

Yugo slammed the card onto the blade. A thin barrier of white surrounded him. Assembled Nightingale's leg connected with the barrier, shattering it into dust.

"Nightingale, your final attack," Ruri ordered.

Unfortunately for Yugo, he received yet another kick. A sharp kick to the side of the head knocked his face to the ground. **(Yugo: 3400** **→ 2800** )

Ruri put a hand to her mouth. "Oh, I didn't mean for her to be so rough... Sorry, Yugo!"

"Ahca...!" the boy groaned. "We just started the duel, and we've lost almost half our Life Points. You're a bruiser, lady."

Ruri lifted one card from her hand. "I set a card and end my turn. It's up to you now, Yuya!"

Ruri ended her turn with Assembly Nightingale and a face-down Spell/Trap on the field, and two cards in her hands. Her Life Points were at 3500.

* * *

Yugo rose back up. He lifted his eyelids, revealing Yuya's red eyes to the world.

"Hello, Clear Wing," he said to the dragon before him. Clear Wing's response was a roar and an egao.

Yuya drew a card from the deck, then glanced at it. He egao'd, knowing that this card would help him turn the duel back in their favor.

 _Yuto,_ Yuya called out to his brother. _Run some details about Assembled Nightingale by me, please?_

Yuto nodded. _It gains ATK power with each Overlay Unit it gains, and Ruri has cards to give her monster more Overlay Units. Also, she has cards to revive her monsters to Xyz Summon further._

He bit down on his thumb. _But if she had any of those cards in her hand, she would have used them. I want to go out on a limb and assume that she doesn't have those cards in her hand._

 _Anything else, Yuto?_

 _Yes. Her monster can detach an Overlay Unit; it would prevent her Lyrilusc monsters from being destroyed by battle and effects, and she'd receive no battle damage. Attacking head-on won't help you much here._

Yuya nodded. _I think I know what to do now. Thanks, Yuto._

Yuya held up two cards in his hand, then flipped them and revealed them to his opponent. They were two Pendulum Monsters, and Ruri knew what this meant.

"With my Scale 2 Performapal Gongato, and my Scale 5 Wisdom-Eye Magician, I set the Pendulum Scales."

Yuya placed the cards on his Pendulum Zones. The columns of blue light appeared on either side of him, along with either monster. Their Scale numbers appeared below them.

"I activate my Wisdom-Eye Magician's effect," Yuya explained. "I can destroy it, then place another Magician Pendulum monster in my Pendulum Zone."

Wisdom-Eye's image shattered, but the pieces of its body soon joined back together to form a new monster. Replacing the spellcaster in the column was Dragonpit Magician. The number underneath it rose accordingly, becoming an 8.

"Now swing, pendulum of the soul! Carve an arc of light across the ether! Let's go, my monsters!"

A swirling pendulum swayed circles in the sky. From within the center of that circle, a single ball of light fell to the ground. The light faded to reveal Wisdom-Eye Magician, standing before Yuya. **(DEF 1500)**

"Defense mode?" Ruri asked. "I thought that you'd pour everything into attacking."

"Where's the fun in that?" Yuya replied, egao-ing. "Besides, my monster is my gift to Yuto."

"Oh?"

 _Stupid Yuya,_ Serena growled. _Stop thinking about others, you idiot. It'll cost you one day._

"Battle!" Yuya announced. "Clear Wing Synchro Dragon attacks Lyrilusc - Assembled Nightingale!"

"Not so fast, Yuya," Ruri responded. "I detach an Over-"

 _Ruri,_ Yuzu called out. _Yuya knows that he can't destroy your 's why he put Wisdom-Eye Magician in Defense._

 _What?_

 _He wants you to waste an Overlay Unit to protect it. Grab an Action Card instead._

 _Oh, right!_

Assembled Nightingale flew above her duelist. She brought her talons down on the girl's shoulders and lifted her up into the air, soaring above the battlefield.

Clear Wing followed suit, flying straight towards the monster. Nightingale would rise higher to avoid Clear Wing's claws when it reached her. An aerial battle ensued above the field.

While Nightingale swerved to avoid the hits, Ruri kept a look-out for Action Cards. She noticed one, resting directly on a platform below her.

"You can let me go here," Ruri said to her monster.

Assembled Nightingale dove down a few feet, allowing Ruri to safely slip from her monster's talons and fall. Ruri landed on her feet, the grabbed hold of the Action Card.

She looked at the card she drew. It wasn't going to save her monster.

Ruri looked above. he watched as Clear Wing dug its claws into Nightingale's body. The monster let out a small yelp as its body was shattered. **(Ruri: 3500** **→ 1600** )

 _Wait, why didn't you protect your monster?_ Serena asked aggressively. _You should have activated her effect._

"I was hoping to keep my monster alive for a little longer..." Ruri sighed. "But Serena, you need a gift, too."

Serena tilted her head, confused. _What do you mean?_

"Action Spell - Damage Draw!" Ruri cried. "When I take 2000 or more battle damage, I draw two cards."

Ruri drew two cards from her Deck, adding them to her hand. Serena glanced over to them and egao'd. One of them was Lunalight Kaleido Chick.

Ruri hopped down the set of platforms on her way back to her spot on the field. As she passed by, she returned a wave Yuya gave her.

"I wasn't sure what was going to happen!" Yuya called out. "You caught me off-guard there, Ruri."

"You're pretty good, yourself, Yuya. We should duel again sometime, just you and me."

As Ruri touched the ground, she gave Yuya an egao; something that made Yuto violently seethe with rage. _Violently._

"I set a card in my Spell/Trap Zone," Yuya explained. "Then, I'll end my turn. It's up to you now, Serena."

Yuya's ending field consisted of his two Pendulum Scales, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon in Attack mode, Wisdom-Eye Magician in Defense mode, and two set Spells/Traps. He had one card in his hand.

* * *

 _This is it, Serena. You have to beat him now. Do whatever you can to conquer him._

Serena started her turn with a face-down Spell/Trap on the field, and five cards cards in her hand after drawing. Her Life Points were at 1600.

"Yuya!" she shouted out. "I'm going to win this turn!"

 _I won't let someone have control over me again._

"Good luck!" Yuya called out. "Do your best, okay?"

Serena blushed and covered her face with her hands. _Damn it! Son of a fuck!_

* * *

 _ **Next time: Serena raises the flag of Absolute Rebellion to fight against the tyranny of love.**_


	23. Rank 7: Absolute Rebellion

_**A/N: One of my complaints about duel writing is that I have to re-use a lot of material from previous chapters to keep continuity. Summoning chants, how Summons are conducted, and how attacks work are often just copy-pasted, with a few tweaks. I hope you guys don't mind if I change up how things are done, for the sake of having fresh content.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: Yugo and Yuto both like rap music. They've occasionally mused about becoming a superstar rap duo, but know they can't follow this dream when they're trapped in Yuya's body.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: The duel continues with Serena's turn, and she aims to finish off Yuya with her most powerful card.**_

* * *

It was Serena's turn now. With a face-down Spell or Trap, five cards in her hand, and 1600 Life Points, she was in a bit of a bind.

Yuya was in a solid position. Aside from having 2800 Life Points, his field consisted of his two Pendulum Scales, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon in Attack mode, Wisdom-Eye Magician in Defense mode, and two face-down Spells/Traps.

Serena let out a sigh, then ruminated on her cards. It was distracting, having Yuya wait for her next move. But when it came to the thrill of dueling, she thought she could manage to focus entirely on her strategy.

"I use the effect of my Lunalight Black Sheep," she announced. "By discarding this card, I can add one Polymerization from my Deck to my hand."

Serena pulled a card from her hand and deposited it in her Graveyard. She was quick to replace it with another card from her Deck.

"Right now, I'll Normal Summon Lunalight Kaleido Chick."

Serena forcefully slammed card card onto the field. Rising from the ground and taking to the air was a young, humanoid female, glad in yellow clothing. It outstretched its arms, spreading the transparent, but colorful shawl.

"Using its effect, I can send a Lunalight from my Main or Extra Deck to the Graveyard, and Kaleido Chick's name will be treated as that monster's."

Serena swiftly grabbed the second card in her Extra Deck, then dropped it in her Graveyard. The image of Lunalight Panther Dancer briefly appeared before Kaleido Chick, before dissolving into a light purple mist.

Serena then revealed a card in her hand to Yuya. "Next, I set Scale 1 Lunalight Wolf in my Pendulum Zone."

She placed the card to the far right section on her blade. The monster appeared to her right, rising into the sky in a pillar of blue light. Once the monster reached the end of the pillar, the number 1 appeared beneath it.

"Just one Pendulum Scale?" Yuya asked. "You know you can't Pendulum Summon with just one Scale."

"I'm not going to Pendulum Summon," she informed him. "I activate it's Pendulum Effect: once per turn, I can Fusion Summon a Lunalight monster from my Extra Deck by banishing the Materials from field or Graveyard."

Yuya gave the girl a nod. Then, he got to work flipping his rollerboots on before skating away from the scene.

"Elegant beast dancing on the moonlit wilderness! The beast lurking in jet-black dress! The bird that creates a kaleidoscopic illusion!" Serena chanted. "Swarm in a vortex of the moon's gravity and revive with a new power!"

Kaleido Chick's form shattered, and it, along with the two other Lunalight monsters in the Graveyard, sunk into the Banished Zone. This caused a growing, multi-colored vortex to swirl in front of Serena's Duel Disk.

"Fusion Summon! Come forth! The king of beasts dancing atop the summit of the moonlight wilderness! Lunalight Leo Dancer!"

The vortex pushed against itself, creating the form of a large, female humanoid. The colors faded, and Lunalight Leo Dancer was left on the field. Her mask shattered before her and reformed as decorative ornaments on her head. And then, the beast held up her mighty, curved sword above her head. **(ATK 3500)**

"Battle!"Serena declared. "Lunalight Leo Daner attacks your Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

Yuya had no time to stand in awe of the furry in the skimpy outfit. His eyes were set on an Action Card, resting on a far end of the lot. He made a beeline towards the card, his free hand outstretched.

Just as he was about to reach for it, a large sword came down. The end of its blade stabbed into the ground, keeping Yuya just short of the Action Card.

He turned around to see Lunalight Leo Dancer in front of him. The monster looked down at hi with hungry eyes.

Yuya gulped. "Ah, hey there, Leo Dancer. It's a- it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Running by the duo was Serena. She passed by Leo and Yuya, then dove to the ground with an outstretched hand. She grabbed the Action Card and pulled it onto her Duel Disk, while Leo reached around Yuya to grab hold of her blade.

"Action Card - Take Flight! Lunalight Leo Dancer gets a boost of 600 ATK!"

And Leo Dancer indeed took flight. Large, angelic wings unfurled from her back. As she rose into the air and flew towards Clear Wing, pure white feathers fell from her wings and blew through the air.

To Yuya's horror, he could only watch as Leo Dancer's sword was buried into his dragon's torso. The dragon let a pained, screeching roar before it was destroyed. **(Yuya: 2800 → 1200)**

"Clear Wing..." Yuya said dejectedly.

Serena paused for a moment. She found herself staring at Yuya's backside, and lowering her gaze. "Uh..."

Yuya turned to look at his Wisdom-Eye Magician. To his surprise, the spellcaster also shattered in the wake of Leo Dancer's attack.

Noticing this, Serena rose up from the ground. "Y-yeah, that happens!"

"What happens?" Yuya asked her.

"When Lunalight Leo Dancer attacks, after the Damage Step, all of your Special Summoned monsters are destroyed. A-and Leo Dancer can attack twice during the Battle Phase!"

Yuya gulped. He skated across the lot once more, heading towards the columns of light he had left.

Serena let out a small but confident laugh. "You fought well, Yuya. But I told you I would kick you ass."

"Trap Card, activate!" Yuya announced. "Gust of WIND!"

Yuya turned back to face Serena, giving her an egao. And behind him came a blustering green wind.

 _You're using my card, eh?_ Yugo said to him. _Good one, buddy. Show her who's boss!_

"Gust of WIND sends all cards I control to my hand," Yuya explained. "After that, I get to draw a card from my Deck."

"What?" Serena gasped. "Do you think that card can help you?"

"Not at all!"

Yuya pointed a finger to his Performapal Gongato. Its started to beat its stomach with the small mallets in its hand. Music notes of various colors rained down onto the field, and the rhymic beats of its gong echoed through the field.

"You were watching my duel with Shinji, right?" Yuya asked Serena. "Once per turn, when my opponent declares a direct attack, I can use its Pendulum Effect to reduce the battle damage to zero. And best of all, the beats stay, even if the Gongato leaves the field!"

The green winds rose into the air, scattering the music notes and white feathers. It was a symphony of colors and beats, and it left Serena's jaw dropped.

 _Not bad, Sakaki,_ Rin mused.

 _Those feathers are yours, Serena,_ Ruri offered. _Both of you made this together, not just him. Be proud you could make something so beautiful._

 _Ruri!_ Yuzu whispered. _That sounds too romantic! Tone it down a bit._

The winds reached the tops of the Pendulum Scales. The monsters inside were blown away into the wind. And as the pillars of light faded, so did the blustering winds.

Serena found herself holding her breath. She let out a long sigh, the pressed her fingers to her forehead. "Okay, I'll admit it. That was pretty good."

Yuya winked at her playfully. "You're welcome to attack me again, if you'd like. It won't do anything to me, but it might feel you better."

Serena shook her head. "I'm good, thanks. For now, I'm going to end my turn."

And end the turn she did. With three cards in her hand, a single Pendulum Scale set up, and Lunalight Leo Dancer on her side of the field, she had set up a strong offense. Her Life Points remained at 1600.

* * *

Serena's turn ended, and so did Yuya's turn in the body. As he drew a card from his deck, his red eyes shifted into a pale gray. This was the signal that Yuto had taken over for his time in the spotlight.

To both Serena and Yuto's surprise, the show had some fans. At the far edge of the lot were Sayaka, Allen, Kaito, and a young boy with pale, light blue hair. The young boy held hands with Kaito.

"Kaito!" Yuto exclaimed. "Allen! Sayaka! Haruto!"

The young boy squeezed Kaito's hand. From his face, Yuto could tell that the boy seemed a bit shocked by Yuto's statement.

"Yuto? Is that you?" Kaito asked. "We saw the wind storm from where we were, so we came to check things out."

Yuto egao'd. "That was Yuya and Serena's work. But you've made it in time to see my turn."

Kaito nodded. "Let's see if you still have the skills you've worked so hard to perfect. Do the Resistance proud."

Yuto nodded in return, then turned to face his opponent. Now that he had an audience to impress, he was even more focused on bringing out the best of his dueling Skills.

* * *

"I activate Hi-Speedroid Kendama's effect!" Yuto announced. "Once per turn, if I don't control any cards, I can Special Summon this card from my Graveyard."

A spot on Yuto's field started to glow. Rising up from the ground was the body of Yugo's fallen monster.

"... However, I can't Normal Summon or Set this turn," Yuto added. "So I set the Pendulum Scales once more, with Performapal Gongato and Dragonpit Magician."

Yuto delicately placed the Pendulums back into their Zones. The blue pillars of light were erected once more, and the monsters floated high above the field.

"I use Hi-Speedroid Kendama's other effect!" Yuto said. "I banish Speedroid Taketomborg from my Graveyard to deal 500 points of damage to your Life Points." **(Serena: 1600 → 1100)**

"... Yuto uses those white cards," Haruto mumbled. "I've seen them before."

"Yuto can do a lot of things, I see," Kite responded. "Watch, I see he has another trick up his sleeve."

 _Together now!_ Yuya said to Yuto.

"Swing, pendulum of the soul!" Yuto called out. "Carve an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon!"

The great pendulum in the sky spun around. Falling from the circle it created were two balls of light. They shot down to the field and landed before Yuto, becoming Wisdom-Eye Magician **(ATK 1500)** and The Phantom Knights of Cloven Helm. **(ATK 1500)**

"Are you going to Xyz Summon, Dead Kid?" Serena asked. "You should know, Leo Dancer can't be targetted by card effects; Dark Rebellion's effect won't work on her."

"Not yet," Yuto replied. "I equip Hi-Speedroid Kendama with an Equip Spell, United We Stand."

Yuto placed a card on the blade, underneath Kendama's card. And on the field, Kendama's body started to glow blue. Its nearly tripled in size, towering over Yuto and his other monsters.

"United We Stand gives the equipped monster 800 ATK and DEF for every monster I control," Yuto explained. "Perfect for a deck that focuses on Pendulums." **(Hi-Speedroid Kendama 2200 → 4600)**

Serena's jaw dropped once more. "Your turn just started, and your field is stronger than when I left it."

"The Resistance always bands together to share their power," Yuto said happily. "Now, battle! Hi-Speedroid Kendama attacks your Lunalight Leo Dancer!"

"Wait! Quick-Play Spell, activate!" Serena declared. "Lovebird's Gift!"

"What? That's Ruri's card!"

The face-down card on Serena's rise rose up. Featured was an image of a white dove, sitting in the palms of feminine hands.

"During my Main Phase, or when my opponent declares an attack, I can activate this card," Serena explained. "I negate your attack, and I shift control of my monster over to you."

Aside from Sayaka, everybody around Serena gasped. Yuto himself seemed in stand in disbelief as Leo Dancer floated over to his side of the field. To him, this moment seemed unreal. **(Hi-Speedroid Kendama 4600 → 5400)**

 _I thought that card would be useless,_ Rin confessed. _Why would you ever want to give your opponent control of your monster?_

 _It's really good when you're in a pinch,_ Ruri told her.

Serena pointed at her former monster, egao-ing. "Yuto! You may have my monster, but she'll never turn on me! Due to Lovebird's Gift's effect, her effects are negated, and she can't attack me directly."

"That's not all, is it?" Yuto said.

"Right! Then, I gain Life Points equal to my monster's ATK!" **(Serena: 1100 → 4600)**

 _That's how you know that the love is true,_ Ruri said wistfully. _You give someone your heart, and they would never hurt you._

"Yeah, whatever. I just saved us from losing, so."

Yuto egao'd. It was a nostalgic feeling, seeing that card in action again. Before making a move, he let the warm feeling of Ruri's love wash over him. Oh, how he missed being with her all day, every day.

Alright, enough of that. Time to attack Serena.

"I can still attack with my other two monsters. Go, Wisdom-Eye Magician!"

Wisdom-Eye jumped forward and floated across the field. Wielding a long staff with a prayer wheel tied to it, the monster used its weapon to smack Serena in the chest. The girl was forced stumbling backwards, barely able to keep herself on her feet. **(Serena: 4600 → 3100)**

"Now, Cloven Helm!"

Serena looked around the lot for an Action Card, or some way to escape the oncoming attack. From the ground below came two hands, which grabbed onto her legs and squeezed tight. Serena lost her balance and fell onto her knees.

Cloven Helm let go of Serena. It rose from the ground and floated back over to Yuto's side of the field. **(Serena: 3100 → 1600)**

"I end my Battle Phase," Yuto concluded. "Are you alright, Serena?"

Yuto walked over to the girl and held out a hand. Although she at first hesitated, she took his hand and let him help her up.

"Don't think I'll go falling in love with you, too," she joked. "You tried your hardest, and couldn't beat me."

"I'll leave that to Yuya and the others," Yuto chuckled. "For now, I'll overlay my Level Four Wisdom-Eye Magician, and The Phantom Knights of Cloven Helm!"

A familiar black hole opened up on the field. The two Level Four monsters became light. They were sucked inside, and the portal started to change its shape.

"Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"

The portal broke apart, and a black dragon floated into the air. Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon stood directly before its master, and its yellow eyes stared deep into Serena's green. **(Hi-Speedroid Kendama 5400 → 4600)**

Dark Rebellion then egao'd and took Yuto into his arms. Yuto gladly pressed his face against his monster's chest.

After a moment, the two broke free from their hug. Dark Rebellion went back to glaring at Serena menacingly, while Yuto turned his eyes to the cards in his hand.

"I'll set Yuya's face-down and end my turn here," Yuto said. "Your move, Yuzu."

His turn ended with two Pendulum Scales, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, Hi-Speedroid Kendama, and Lunalight Leo Dancer on his field. His Life Points settled at 1200, and he had one card in his hand.

And from the four members of the audience, applause. Applause for Yuto's near-victory, and the quick thinking Serena did to save herself. Even Haruto, shy as he was, clapped a bit before clinging onto his brother's jacket.

Yuto egao'd. This was going better than he had anticipated.

* * *

"My turn! Draw!"

It was Yuzu's turn to shine. She drew a card from her deck and threw her arm back dramatically. Her eyes drifted to the card she drew. It was the perfect card, the one card that would turn this all around.

Ruri set the stage with her opening act, and Serena's leveled the playing field and kept the audience on their seats. And now, with this card and this field, she was going to end the show on a good note.

 _Sorry, Rin,_ Yuzu said. _Is it okay if I end the duel here?_

 _Serena's happy and relaxed, and we got to have run,_ Rin replied. _And as long as Yuri's losing, I'm fine with missing my turn._

Yuzu held her newly-drawn card to her opponent. "I activate the Spell Card, Ostinato!"

As Yuzu placed the card onto her blade, a pastel musical bar grew from her Disk. The bar, and all the various notes on it, danced through the air. It circled around Yuto and his side of the field, then bound its way back to circle Yuzu.

Now, they were in a giant "8" symbol created by the bars. A riff of a beautiful, alto choir could be heard.

 _Beautiful!_ Yuya commented. _Yuzu just has the most beautiful... everything!_

 _Yuto, don't get distracted by the music,_ Yugo advised. _We gotta win, alright?_

Yuzu placed a hand on her Extra Deck, then drew a card from the top. "If I control no monsters, I can Fusion Summon a Melodious monster from my Extra Deck, using 2 monsters from my hand or Deck as Fusion Materials."

The bar started to break apart, freeing the musical notes. The notes flew through the air and clustered together on Yuzu's side of the field.

"Supreme prodigy! Supreme genius! With the guidance of the baton, gather your power! Fusion Summon!"

The notes burst into a sea of pastel-pink light. The light faded to reveal the heavenly body of a floating monster. Golden flower petals and music notes flowed from its body. **(ATK 1000)**

"Now come here to the stage! Sing the song of victory! Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir!""

The riff of the choir went into a crescendo, reaching a loud, beautiful chant.

"Awesome!" Allen gasped.

The audience were captivated by the show. Once again, Haruto let go of his brother to admire and clap for the beautiful display.

Now, several more people started to gather onto the lot. A woman and her two kids; Grace and Gloria; even several of Dennis's students came to enjoy the show.

Bloom Diva's voice started to diminish into a soft, quiet hum. She gave the audience a polite little bow and egao'd.

The audience burst into applause.

"I'm not done!" Yuzu announced. "Yuto, your monsters may be strong, but the music you're playing is a little too high."

 _What's she talking about?_ Yugo scoffed. _We're not making mu- oh, I get it, she's making a... a thing. Like a pun?_

"This card can't be destroyed by battle or card effects," Yuzu told them. "And when it battles a Special Summoned monster, the damage is inflicted to you, instead!"

 _4600, take away 1000..._ Yugo mused. _... That's thr-_

 _3600 points of damage,_ Yuri finished.

Yugo grumbled.

"Battle Phase!" Yuzu declared. "Bloom Diva attacks your Hi-Speedroid Kendama!"

 _Yuto!_ Yuya called out.

"Right!" Yuto responded. "Trap, activate! Performapal Show Down!"

The face-down card rose up to the face Yuzu. The image on the card - a whole troupe of Performapal monsters - exploded to life as the monsters tumbled forth, one by one. Yuto's side of the field was swarmed by the playful cast, who all organized themselves to hide Yuto's field from sight.

Haruto looked at the monsters in wonder. Just looking at the adorable monsters made him egao.

"With this card, I can target any number of my opponent's face-up monsters, up to the number of face-up Spells I control," Yuto continued. "Then, I can flip your monsters into face-down Defense mode!"

The Performapal monsters all took their bows, as did Dark Rebellion, Leo Dancer, Kendama, and Yuto himself.

Bloom Diva politely returned the bow with a courtsey. Her card appeared from under her, and her body disappeared inside. The card then flipped over, covering the monster's image.

"Unless you can Summon more monsters, I don't think you can continue with your Battle Phase."

Yuzu pouted. "So I can't beat you this turn. But I'm not going to let you beat me next turn, either. I activate the Spell, De-Fusion!"

Yuzu's card appeared on the field. Bloom Diva's card shattered, and from its shards came the forms of two new monsters: Canon the Melodious Diva **(DEF 2000)** , and Mozarta the Melodious Maestra. **(ATK 2600)**

"Bloom Diva goes back to my Extra Deck, and the Fusion Materials used to bring her out are Special Summoned to my field!"

"But my monsters can destroy them next turn," Yuto informed her. "I'm sorry, Yuzu. But you haven't saved yourself at all."

"I'm not done, Yuto!" Yuzu cheerfully exclaimed. "Serena left me with another card. I activate her Polymerization!"

A familiar swirling vortex appeared on the field. Yuzu's monsters jumped towards it, and their bodies were merged into one. Their bodies gave birth to a reborn Bloom Diva, who let out another hum to signal her second coming. **(ATK 1000)**

Yuzu winked. "If any of your Special Summoned monsters attack, you take the damage and lose."

The crowd applauded for Yuzu, along with Yuto and Yuya. Both Yuzu and her monster turned to the audience and bowed in unison.

Yuzu ended her turn with a single Pendulum Scale and Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir on her field. She had one card in her hand, and 1600 Life Points.

* * *

"I'm handing the spotlight over to you," Yuzu said to Yuto. "Let's see you try and top my final act."

"Ey, Yuzu..."

"Yuya?" Yuzu asked. "N-no, that's not Yuya..."

"You should know that, when you ask your opponent to do the impossible, they'll meet your challenge."

The Performapal monsters shattered, revealing Yuri and his field of monsters. His had a derranged smile on his face, and his fierce purple eyes were locked squarely on Yuzu's face.

"It's my turn, Yuzu," Yuri said. "The fun has just begun!"

* * *

 _ **A/N: I had the idea for Lovebird's Gift way, way back in Rank 1. I've been excited to debut it, since I want to use it in a very important duel in the future.**_

 _ **Next time: The duel draws to a close, and the winners stand victorious. But what Yuzu does after is more of a surprise than the duel's outcome. Who's playing on your Heart Strings now?**_


	24. Rank 8: Heart Strings

_**A/N: A few people wondered if I'd follow up on the Reij duel. I do plan on following up on the plot and showing the duel. Right now though, I'm waiting for VRAINS to air before I continue that plot point. I want to get a better feel of Aoi's character before proceeding any further, because her story here is far from over.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: Yuto and Yoko sometimes cook together.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: As the duel reaches its end, Yuri wants to make sure it ends with a bang.**_

* * *

"Your monster is so cool!" Yuri said excitedly. "If I wanna beat that, I gotta do my best! My turn!"

Yuri pulled out the top card from his deck. His hand now had two cards. His field consisted of Hi-Speedroid Kendama, Lunalight Leo Dancer, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, and his two Pendulum Scales.

"Dark Rebellion, under my control again," Yuri mused. "Did you miss me?"

Dark Rebellion let out a deep, unnerving growl as a reply. And it was at this time that Yuto stood up to Yuya. His Life Points were at 1200.

 _We can't let Yuri duel,_ Yuto told him. _We can't trust him; he'll use this as an opportunity to hurt people._

Yuto hesitated to answer. His eyes drifted away from Yuto and Yuri.

 _He's just dueling to play around with them,_ Yuto insisted. _If anything, he'll probably make Serena worse off than she already was._

Yuri looked to the three boys. Yuto was locked onto Yuya. Yuya didn't look at any of them. And Fusion was looking to Yuri.

 _Don't screw this up,_ Yugo told him.

Yuri turned to face Yuzu. "I Summon my own monster, Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio!"

Yuri delicately placed his card onto the blade. The ground before him sparkled, and his nefarious monster rose to the stage. **(ATK 1200)**

"When this card is Summoned, I can send one monster from my hand to the Graveyard. Then, I can Special Summon one Predaplant monster from my Deck."

A card was ejected from Yuri's Deck. He picked it up with two fingers, then placed it onto his blade.

The field glowed once more. This time, the glow heralded the arrival of a small, twin-headed serpent. Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra slithered out of the ground and took its place between Ophrys Scorpio and Dark Rebellion. **(DEF 1500)**

"When my beautiful plant is Special Summoned by the effect of a Predaplant monster, I can add 1 "Polymerization" or "Fusion" Spell Card from to my hand!"

Another card was ejected from the deck, this time from the bottom. Yuri quickly snatched the card up and held it up to his opponent. It was Polymerization.

"I use Polymerization to fuse two of my monsters together," Yuri announced. "I fuse Predaplant Darlington Cobra, and Lunalight Leo Dancer!"

Nearly everyone let out a gasp. Yuzu took a cautionary step back, but kept her eyes dead-set on her enemy.

 _Wh-why are you doing that?_ Serena cried out.

"Celery!" Yuri called out. "Your cry for victory hasn't gone unheard! Let us join together and create a miracle to win this match!"

A familiar swirling vortex appeared on the field. Leo Dancer and Darlington Cobra were lifted before it. Their bodies contorted and merged within the vortex, becoming a dark, inky purple form.

"Beautiful flower with an alluring fragrance! King of all the beasts! Become one, and create the all-devouring plant from Hell! Fusion Summon! Level 1! Predaplant Chimerafflesia!"

The purple form took the shape of a very large, vine-covered mass. Its large body cast a shadow across the field. The purple started to fall away, revealing a terrifying plant with two gaping maws. **(ATK 2500)**

A stunned pause from the audience. A few of them murmured amongst themselves, wondering about this new monster. Grace and Gloria watched on, silent and increasingly curious.

 _He brought out something disgusting,_ Yuto growled. _Yuya, we need to stop him before-_

 _Wait,_ Yuya responded. _Yuri, we're watching. Show us that we can trust you._

 _... I don't need your trust,_ Yuri said to him.

"I use Chimerafflesia's effect!" Yuri declared. "Once per turn, I can target a monster my opponent controls, with a level equal to, or less than my plant's. That monster is banished from the field!"

"I won't let that happen!" Yuzu shouted.

With that, Yuzu took her monster's hand. Together, the duo took off into the air, away from the field.

They were followed by the other monster's vines. They quickly slithered on the ground in pursuit of the duo. Yuri himself surfed on top of one of the vines, looking menacing as he closed in on Yuzu.

The tips of some vines darted through the air, attempting to grab hold of Yuzu and Bloom Diva. They were able to sidestep the vines, duck from one of the plant's hungry mouths, and make their way to a floating platform.

They stopped and hovered a foot away from the platform, and a couple of feet above. As Yuzu leaned forward for a better look, she could see an Action Card right at the right, corner edge. And a shadow was cast over them.

 _"You can't escape!"_ Yuri cackled.

Yuzu turned around to see the monster, looming over them. Vines flew at Bloom Diva and entrapped her. She let out a small cry of pain as she plant squeezed her.

Yuzu however, was safe. She let go of her monster's hand and dove towards the card. She stretched out her right hand and attempted to nab it.

Unfortunately for her, Yuri jumped from a vine and onto the platform. He knelt down and picked up the Action Card.

Yuzu gasped. Her hand desperately grabbed at the edge of the platform to keep herself from falling. She dangled over the edge, several feet in the air.

"Yuya!" Yuzu screamed.

 _Yuzu!_ Yuya called out. _Yuri, save her!_

Yuri was quick on the draw. With his free hand, Yuri grabbed Yuzu by the wrist and pulled. "I got you, Yuzu."

Yuzu shuddered. His hand felt so clammy and cold. It was nothing like the warm comfort of Yuya's, despite it being the same hand.

"Ugh..." she grunted. "Thanks... Yuri."

Yuri egao'd. He pulled Yuzu up, helping her to get into the platform. And then with that done, he jumped onto a vine and left her stranded.

Yuzu looked back to her monster. Bloom Diva let out a final cry before she was shattered by the vines. Yuzu was too late to save it.

Yuri's vine lowered him to the ground. Once it landed, the boy casually jumped off and turned his focus back to his opponent.

"Wow, your monster was so strong! But I was able to get rid of it without a sweat! I guess that means I'm really amazing, huh?"

Yuzu looked down at him. Her face was a mix or worry and anger. But her heart pounded in excitement and anxiousness.

"That was a close one!" she called out.

Coming up to the scene were Yuri's other monsters. Dark Rebellion, Hi-Speedroid Kendama and Ophrys Scorpio all gathered behind their controller.

"Time for the real fun to begin," Yuri said calmly. "Battle! Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio attacks Yuzu directly!"

Ophrys Scorpio leaned its body back. From its stinger tail, three purple darts were shot into the air. Yuzu held her arms in front of her body to shield herself from the attack. **(Yuzu: 1600 → 400)**

Yuzu looked around. There were a few platforms a distance away, but none of them were within reach. The drop down would have been too risky, and even if she did jump, there didn't seem to be Action Cards in sight.

 _Crap,_ she thought, sighing internally. _We're boned._

"I end my turn," was Yuri's response.

* * *

"What?" Yuzu asked.

"You heard me," Yuri replied. "I ended my turn. Now go and draw a card."

"But why?"

Yuri walked around his Fusion monster. He looked at the crowd, giving them a devious little smirk.

And then, back to looking at Yuzu. "We're putting on a show, right? I want to give the heroine one last chance at defeating the demon."

 _Yuya!_ Yuto barked. _See? We can't trust him!_

 _Yuto, what the hell?_ Yugo groaned. _Calm your shit, you cuck. Now Rin gets a chance to duel!_

 _That's right, Fusion,_ Yuri chuckled. _I want to see if she can back up her words!_

 _My name's not Fusion! It's Yugo!_

Yuzu closed her eyes and rested a card on her Deck. She opened her now-orange eyes and drew her next card.

"Yuri, I appreciate the chance to play," Rin said to him. "But I'm not going easy on you. The duel's going to end on this turn!"

Rin drew a card from her hand and placed it onto her Duel Disk's blade. "If I control no monsters, I can Special Summon Windwitch - Ice Bell from my hand!"

A cold blast of air blew from below Rin, lifting up the feathers and flowers from the previous fights. Materializing next to the platform was a female monster, flying on a broomstick. She waved her delicate wand upward, and a stream of blue wind circled around her. **(ATK 1000)**

"Then, I can Special Summon a Windwitch from my Deck. And when Ice Bell is first Summoned, I can also inflict 500 points of damage to my opponent!" **(Yuri: 1200 → 700)**

Ice Bell waved her wand to herright side. The blue wind around her blew over to the spot. it took the form of Windwitch - Glass Bell. **(ATK 1500)** The monster floated on her broomstick, sitting right beside Ice Bell.

A card was ejected from Rin's deck. Naturally, she was quick to grab i. She presented the card, Windwitch - Snow Bell, to the enemy, before placing it in her hand.

"When Windwitch - Glass Bell is Summoned, I can add another Windwitch to my hand."

"You remind me of Fusion when he duels!" Yuri gasped. You already created a strong field! And without using your Normal Summon, too!"

"Don't get wowed just yet," Rin replied, egao-ing. "I tune my Level-"

"Not so fast!" Yuri screamed. "Action Card - Haunted Missile, activate!"

Yuri pressed a card to his Duel Disk. The air rippled around him. From those ripples came three large, navy blue missiles with ghostly faces at the tips. All three shot upward at Rin and her monsters. **(Rin 400 → 0)**

"You didn't think I'd _actually_ let you win, right?" Yuri howled. "I offered you _hope_ , not a win!"

 _See! See?_ Yuto barked. _I knew he was just playing us! He just wanted to crush their hope!_

 _Just be safe, Rin,_ Yugo thought.

Rin jumped down from the platform just as the missiles hit. She descended downwards, along with pieces of the now-demolished platform above. Her monsters faded from the field, leaving behind traces of sparkles to rain down on her.

To Rin's surprise, it was Dark Rebellion who came to her rescue. Without any prompting from Yuri, the dragon took to the air and caught her in its arms.

* * *

The duel had ended, and the boys had won. The audience burst into applause for the duelists. And by now, the crowd had seemingly tripled in size.

Yuri casually gathered up his deck and started to shuffle, humming a small tune as he placed the cards back in his Duel Disk.

"La la la la, something-something," he hummed. "Something something _broken dreams_ ~"

The other three boys appeared around him. Yuto, naturally, showed visible displeasure.

 _What a fun duel! I think we all learned something today!_ Yuya said confidently.

 _That solidarity with your brothers or sisters means nothing, because at the end of the day, we'll act solely for ourselves?_ Yuri thought to himself.

 _That we're the best duelists in the world?_ Yugo asked.

 _That our deck will almost always give us the best draws, even when we just mash all our cards together?_ Yuto asked.

Yuya frowned. _Let's go back home and finish our homework._

 _We need to talk about something first,_ Yuto said aggressively. _Yuri was just messing with Rin the whole time._

 _Yuri did nothing wrong,_ Yuya replied. _He could have ended the duel without giving Rin a turn. At least he gave Rin a chance totry and fight._

 _You need to stop defending him! Remember what he said about our father? Are you going to forget about that?_

Yuri frowned. _Listen, Yuto. Yuri said some bad things, but we can't stay mad at him forever._

 _He didn't even apologize!_

 _Yuri, do you-_

Yuri stopped humming. Without responding to his counterparts, he started walking towards Rin.

* * *

Rin was tired, splashed with dirt and soot, and a little bit frustrated in her loss.

She clenched her fists. She didn't get to wow them like the others. She _failed_. All the others got to shine bright, and she couldn't even do anything.

But the other girls were there for her. Yuzu and Ruri took her hands, and Serena gave her a small nod of approval.

 _I'm sorry you didn't get to do what you wanted,_ Ruri said softly.

 _You could have won, if I didn't mess up against Yuri,_ Yuzu said meekly.

Rin shook her head. _Yuzu, don't worry about it. You did great, okay? You just got some bad luck, going up against that jerk._

 _Like you,_ Serena responded. _You could have kicked his ass if the order was different._

Rin blinked. Her fists opened up, letting go of some of the anger she was holding. And with that anger gone, she could hear the applause of the audience. She could see the smiles of her counterparts. She could hear the rush of excitement from her beating heart, from being right there in the action.

 _I think we did good, guys,_ Rin said to her girls. _Group hug?_

 _Not a chance in Hell!_ Serena hissed.

Rin outstretched her arms. Both Yuzu and Ruri joined in on the hug. An after a bit of hesitation, Serena sighed, dragged herself over and threw an arm into the pile.

"What are you doing?" Yuri asked.

Rin blinked. She immediate brought her arms down and looked at Yuri, blushing.

"I-I wasn-wasn't just-just-just hugging the air!" Rin stammered. "We were hugging!"

"I see. Would you like me to join you girls?"

"Not a chance, Yuri."

"Did you at least enjoy my debut performance?"

"You raised my hopes, just to dash them away," Rin groaned.

"I'm very good at that, yes."

"And yet, you gave me a chance to fight... That one chance, even if it was small, was kinda fun."

" _Ohhh?_ "

Rin scoffed. "Don't think too much of it. I just liked the adrenaline. You just got lucky that I had fun."

Yuri brushed some of his hair back, flashing the young lady a seductive egao. And then, his eyes shifted to a bright red.

"Rin, are you guys okay?" Yuya asked. "How is Serena feeling?"

Now Serena took over Yuzu's body. "Yuya, I... I had a lot of fun."

Serena's eyes fell to the ground. She really _did_ have fun. It was a heart-pumping duel. She was thrown into a strange situation, but she got to see how well she shined. The duel was unexpected, and everyone worked together to turn the chaos into something amazing. And most of all, it made people happy.

Serena blushed. That was just like Yuya, wasn't it? It wasn't just about being a strong duelist with him. It was about how he worked hard to make people happy.

Like her.

Crap. She was crushing even harder now.

"Serena," Yuya said to her. "I'm really happy we got to do this."

Serena's head rose up. Her first instinct was to go on the offensive, push away whatever made her feel so bad. Without even thinking, she pulled her fist back and took a swing at Yuya.

This was right at the time Yugo took over Yuya's body. He wanted a chance to talk to the others, which lead him to try and take control of the body.

"Riiin-"

Yugo was punched square in the mouth. He stumbled backwards and threw his entire head back.

"Th-that's not Rin's punch..." Yugo groaned.

Yuzu forcibly took the body over. He immediately ran over to Yugo and started apologizing profusely. Meanwhile, the other three girls stood behind her and watched on.

A furious Rin stepped before Serena. Her arms rested on her hips, and she leaned forward to give the girl her best "angry mom" face.

 _Hey, what's the big deal?!_ she barked. _Why'd you hit him?_

 _It- it was an accident!_ Serena said defensively. _I thought it was Yuya!_

 _That doesn't make it better!_

 _Guys, I can't hear that Yugo's saying,_ Yuzu interrupted. _Could you take this somewhere else?_

 _Come on, guys! We need to calm down!_ Ruri pleaded.

 _Serena, what the hell?_ Rin snapped. _Really, what in the actual HELL?_

 _Stop being an asshole!_ Serena hissed. _It was an accident! Besides , you hit Yugo all the time!_

 _Quiet, guys!_ Yuzu cried.

 _That's different!_ Rin said.

 _How?_ was Serena's response.

"SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE!" Yuzu screamed.

The girls went silent. The audience just stared at Yuzu. Yugo, no, _Yuya_ looked at her in shock and sadness.

Realizing their situation, the trio of girls vanished from sight, retreating into the mindscape. Finally, Yuya and Yuzu were left to their own devices.

"I'm sorry, Yuya," Yuzu sighed. "I wasn't talking to you."

"Sorry," Yuya said. "But does this mean that we didn't help Serena?"

"I wish we couldn't talk about her," Yuzu admitted. "I hate that things have to be so complicated. Why can't we just have fun and not think about things, like when we dueled?"

Yuya gave Yuzu a somber nod. "If only we could just duel all the time, and not deal with heartbreak, or in-fighting."

Yuzu turned her back to Yuya. After a small moment of silence, she let out a sigh.

By now, the crowd started to disperse. There were no more applause. Many of them could see the tension in the air by the time Yugo was punched, and had decided to back out and give the kids their privacy. Only Grace, Gloria, Sayaka and Allen remained, waiting to see if they would need to intervene.

"I thought this duel would help, but I think we're back where he started," Yuzu admitted. "Serena's still upset, and Rin and her are fighting. I just know they're going to be at each other's throats for a while now."

"That's the thing with you, Yuzu," Yuya continued. "You're thinking about how Serena feels. You're thinking about how giving Rin and Ruri time with Yugo and Yuto. You're thinking about making everyone _else_ egao."

Yuzu egao'd sadly. "That's what an Entertainment Duelist does; they make people happy."

"You can't always be selfless, Yuzu. It's not healthy to put everyone's wants before yours, all the time."

Yuya tapped Yuzu on the shoulder. "For me? And Yugo, and Yuto."

"I can't," Yuzu said bitterly. "I can't do that. If I try to be selfish, I'll hurt Serena. I'll be hurting Ruri and Rin too."

Yuzu took a step forward, giving her more space away from Yuya. She let out a long, tired sigh and folded her arms.

"...But if I could be selfish, just this one time..."

Yuzu turned around and took hold of Yuya's hands. She pulled the young man in and pressed her lips against his.

Yuya was completely caught off-guard. For a moment, his body froze up. But as his own feelings welled up inside him, he could feel his body relax. He wrapped his arms around Yuzu's waist and returned the kiss.

After what felt like hours, the two broke free from their embrace. They stared at each other, blushing profusely and sweating bullets.

"That was..." Yuzu muttered.

"I mean..." Yuya said nervously.

"... Good."

"Yeah... We should do it again sometime."

"If only we could, Yuya."

"Yeah. If only."

The two egao'd sadly. They held each other's hands and looked deeply in each other's eyes. Now, their counterparts weren't there. The crowd wasn't there. It was just the two of them, alone together.

"Maybe one day," Yuzu said to him. "One day, we'll figure out how to make it all work."

"I'll be dreaming of that day," Yuya responded. "And if - _when_ that day comes, I'll write your name in the stars, I swear it."

* * *

 _ **A/N: The original ending for this chapter was longer. Originally, Yuzu would have talked to Serena. They would have come to the arrangement that Yuzu and Yuya couldn't date, but they could kiss and make-out if Serena was allowed to watch. I cut this ending because it felt too OOC for Serena, and it would take away from the sappy moment.**_

 _ **Another ending, cut for similar reasons, had Yuya pretend that he was possessed by Yuri at the time of the kiss, just to joke around with Yuzu. This would have earned him such a hard whack from Yuzu's fan, accidentally putting him in a two-day coma.**_

 _ **Next time: Two little words. That's all it takes to ignite a war between Dennis and Yuto. Throw in Sawatari, and you have the Kings of Disaster.**_


	25. Rank 9: Kings of Disaster

_**Fun Fact: Remember Yuya's last line in the last chapter? Yugo overheard it and constantly makes fun of him for it. Yuto says that it was sweet, but secretly thought it was corny as hell.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: Yuto challenges Dennis to a duel. Throw in Sawatari, and it's a three-way war between talented duelists.**_

* * *

It was a rare moment for Ruri and Yuto, being in their hometown. Although they would hang out as often as they could, they weren't always in the Xyz Dimension.

With their days in the Xyz Dimension almost up, the two were enjoying a nice stroll through the town, surveying the changes - for better or for worse - to the landscape. It was bittersweet, seeing their town being built up from its own ruins. But they were both focused on how they wouldn't be here to see the town grow.

Their aimless walking lead them towards a Solid Vision circus tent. Yusho's booming voice, and the sounds of cheering children, could be heard inside.

"Sounds like they're having a fun class," Ruri said wistfully.

"Reminds me of that one time, in class," Yuto said. "You were still learning how to use props, and you accidentally let loose all those rabbits."

"Oh, yeah..." Ruri said sheepishly. "It wasn't an accident."

Yuto smirked. "Really?"

"Hey, I didn't know about Tetsuo's trick, okay? At the time, I thought the trick was just going to be him stuffing them in a hat until he pulled them out."

"At least it wasn't all bad," Yuto told her. "One of the rabbits relieved themselves on Kotori's backpack."

"Good, I hate that bitch," Ruri admitted. "She never gave me my pencil back."

" _Wow_."

As they passed by the circus tent, a surprise visitor popped out. It was Dennis, who was carrying a cardboard box full of papers and pencils. They were likely school supplies for his students, though Yuto and Ruri couldn't be sure.

"Hello, Ruri!" Dennis called out. "Hello, Yuya!"

Both Yuto and Ruri stopped. Ruri turned around and waved to the boy. "Hi, Dennis!"

Yuto, however, was livid. _Hello, Ruri. Hello, Ruri._ Who says that? And who did that guy think he was, speaking so casually to the person he kidnapped?

Fucking Dennis. Fucking _Dennis_. The little asshole who was clearly flirting with Ruri right in front of him. It was blatant taunt towards Yuto and the other boys.

It wasn't even the way he said it, either. Dennis clearly tried to sound seductive. Or wicked, like he was trying to mask a dark side to him. His tone was evil, malicious.

Dennis was a bad man now. He couldn't be trusted.

Yuto broke out of his angery stupor to look at Dennis. To his surprise (and unbridled fury), Ruri and Dennis had started a conversation about something. He had to put a stop to it.

"Dennis!" Yuto screamed. "I challenge you to a duel!"

Dennis and Ruri stopped talking. They looked at each other, then back to Yuto. Back to each other, and then back to Yuto.

"Okay!" Dennis said happily. "Sounds like fun, good buddy."

* * *

It was a tale as old as time: boys would come to the lot that once supported a school branch, then have a duel in front of a girl. But this tale was not a fairy tale. It was just another day for these strange, strange kids.

"I have no idea what's going on, but it seems very fun!" Dennis exclaimed.

"Stop talking and start dueling," Yuto seethed.

"Why are you so angry, Yuto? Sounds like you need a little ~~entertainment~~ in your life."

"I'll be less angry when I kick your ass."

To the trio's surprise, a glowing portal appeared roughly a foot avone them. A loud, high-pitched shriek grew louder and louder.

"What is that?" Ruri asked. "Everybody, back away!"

The three of them took a few steps back, but kept watching the portal. The screams grew louder and louder.

And then Sawatari fell out. He landed on the ground, face-first.

"Sawatari?" Yuto asked.

"Shingo!" Dennis said warmly. "What brings you here?"

Sawatari groaned and slowly rose up to meet his friends. Above him, the portal slowly started to close until it vanished from sight.

"Ugh, my head..." he grumbled. "Stupid portable Highways."

Sawatari looked at the trio in front of him. "Oh, there you guys are! I was looking for you! ... Yuya and Yuzu, not Yuto, Ruri and Dennis. I'm not here for you guys."

"Gee, thanks," Ruri said flatly. "Wait, you knew who we are?"

"Those guys need to hurry up and get back to our dimension!" Sawatari responded. "My pool party was a disaster, and I need them to be there for my half-birthday party?"

"It's half of a birthday party?" Dennis asked. "Or are we celebrating your half-birthday?"

"Utopia damn it, Dennis," Yuto grumbled. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Idiot."

"Half of a birthday party," Sawatari answered.

"Wait, what?"

"The other half will be for my Quinceanera."

"What's that?" Ruri asked.

"I don't know, but it's foreign! It's French, so you know it's gonna be classy and sophisticated."

Yuto grumbled again. "Sawatari, we're in the middle of something. Please, just wait until we're done."

Sawatari felt his heart break into tiny little pieces. His shining speech, his boasts about his upcoming, and sure-to-be-successful party, denied by Yuto. He nearly fell to the floor and sobbed. But he didn't, because even Sawatari knew it wasn't that big of a deal.

But he was still peeved.

"Me and Yuto are about to duel," Dennis told him.

"Wrong," Yuto responded. "I'm going to kick Dennis's ass and make him stay away from Ruri."

"What?"

"What?" Ruri asked.

"What?!" Sawatari gasped. "Why?"

"Yeah, this is weird. I thought you just wanted to show off to Dennis, or something."

Yuto scoffed. "Dennis is a deviant. Just let me protect you from him."

"You shouldn't fight, though!" Sawatari announced. "You see, you shouldn't worry about how strong the other is, or what they have. Think about what's _really_ important. You should focus on how far you've come, and how amazing you are now."

Sawatari stopped to take a breath. His breathing was heavy and his eyes were full of passion.

"Instead of holding yourself to others' standards, you should be proud of what you _have_ done, and what's ahead of you. Let go of your feelings of inferiority, and hold on to your feelings of integrity!"

Dennis, Ruri and Yuto just looked at Sawatari with varying looks of disgust or confusion. There was a cold, awkward silence between them.

"Th-that's very sweet, Shingo! Thanks!" Dennis said meekly. "But what does that have to do with this situation?"

Sawatari blinked. "What?"

"We're fighting for Ruri's love," Yuto explained. "I'm protecting her from Dennis."

"You're breaking my heart, Yuto," Dennis sighed. "... But you think I have a shot with Ruri, then?"

"No."

"Hey, what about me?" Sawatari snapped. "I had a speech and everything!"

Dennis winked. "But you're jealous, and you're coming to fight me. Sounds like you think I could steal her away, Yuto."

"Enough talking!" Yuto barked. "Are you going to duel, or are you going to keep talking?"

Dennis activated his Duel Disk. He backed away from the others and held his blade up to his chest. "I can do both."

Sawatari looked to Ruri. "Are you going to let this happen?!"

Ruri blushed. "I... well... Yeah."

"Whyyyyyyy?!"

"I mean, it's pretty funny. And I have two guys fighting over me. And there's not a lot to do in Heartland if you don't like school or train conventions."

Ruri turned to Yuto. "You know this duel is stupid and unnecessary, right?"

"Sure, whatever," Yuto answered. "But I'm going still going to crush Dennis."

And Ruri turned back to Sawatari. "See? It's all good."

Sawatari acivated his Duel Disk. He backed away from the others and held the blade out before them.

"What are you doing?" Ruri asked.

"This is stupid!" Sawatari snapped. "I'm going to teach Yuto to egao with my ~~Entertainment Dueling~~, and I will teach Dennis to..."

He looked over to Dennis. Dennis gave him a polite smile and a wave.

" _Something_. I'll teach him something!"

Yuto just sighed. He was angry right now. He was annoyed. He had limited time before he had to give control of the body back to Yuya. He wasn't going to bother wasting any more time arguing with Sawatari.

"Fine," Yuto sighed.

* * *

After some preparation time, the trio of duelists all took their places on the lot. Yuto and Dennis stood a few feet away from each other, facing the other. Sawatari was off to Yuto's left and Dennis's right. Together, they formed a triangle. Ruri stood off to the side, watching the fight.

"Are we all clear on the rules?" Yuto asked. "We all start with five cards."

"You can attack someone who made their move already, but not someone who hasn't gotten their turn yet," Sawatari added.

"And it's a three-way duel, so only one will be left standing," Dennis concluded. "Are you ready, gentlemen?"

Their Duel Disks spoke: _"FIELD SPELL: CROSSOVER, ACTIVATE."_

"Duelists locked in battle!" Sawatari announced.

"Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!" Dennis proudly shouted.

"They storm through this field!" Yuto cried out.

"Behold!" Ruri added. "This is the latest and greatest evolution of Dueling!"

"Action!" came all four of their voiced.

 _ **"DUEL!"**_

* * *

"I'll make the first move!" Yuto stated. "I Summon The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak."

Materializing on the field was a cloaked phantom. Its body was all but hidden from the world, with the exception of glowing blue eyes, and twig-like arms. It let out a small, spooky gasp. **(ATK 800)**

"If I control a The Phantom Knights monsters, I can Special Summon The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots from my hand."

Crackles of lightnnight shot out from the disk, along with a light blue wisp. The wisp expanded and took a human-like shape. Ragged clothing materialized to cover up all of the body, except for the face. (DEF 1200)

"With these two Level 3 monsters, I build the Overlay Network!"

A black hole opened up on the field. The two monsters were transformed into balls of purple light, and were then sucked inside.

"Souls of knights who fell on the battlefield. Revive here and now, and become the light that breaks the darkness! Xyz Summon! Rank 3, The Phantom Knights of Break Sword!"

Rising from the black hole was a headless horseman. His black steed neighed and reared back; a threatening gesture meant to intmidate and scare those who stood against it. **(ATK 2000)**

"I play the Spell, Allure of Darkness. It lets me draw 2 cards, but I must banish a DARK monster from my hand. And then, I set a card."

Yuto then placed a face-down card in his Spell/Trap zone. "And with that, my turn ends."

Yuto ended the turn with 4000 Life Points, a face-down Spell or Trap, and The Phantom Knights of Break Sword on the field. He had two cards in his hand.

* * *

Now, it was Sawatari's time to shine. He eagerly stepped up for his time in the spotlight.

"Are you all ready for you Neo-Mega Ultimate Champion Mr. Master Sawatari?"

"Wow! That's a cool title, Shingo!" Dennis exclaimed.

"THANK YOU!" Sawatari shouted, a large egao on his face. "I Summon Abyss Actors - Extras to my stage!"

With a bit of an over-dramatcic flourish, Sawatari slammed a card onto his blade. A small, weird device appeared on the field. Three strange imps rose out from the device and waved to the crowd. (ATK 100)

"I can Tribute this card!" Sawatari announced. "That allows me to place a Pendulum monster from my Deck, into my Pendulum Zone!"

A blue column of light rose to Sawatari's right. The image of Abyss Actor - Twinkle Littlestar floated into the air. A number 9 appeared below her.

"I set Scale 1 Abyss Actor - Costume Designer in my other Zone!" Sawatari continued. "Then, I fabulously Pendulum Summon!"

The Scale went up, and a light went down. Appearing on the field was Sawatari's act, Abyss Actor - Superstar. **(ATK 2500)** The monster (along with its master) gave its opponents a bow.

"I feel bad, stopping my turn right as the act starts," Sawatari said. "But alas, I, uh, didn't draw a Tuner. So I set a card face-down, and then end my turn."

Sawatari ended his turn with one card in his hand, a face-down Spell or Trap, Abyss Actor - Superstar and two Pendulum Scales on his field. His Life points remained untouched.

"Your time to shine, Dennis."

"You're not going to attack Yuto?" Dennis asked.

"Nope! My strategy is meant to be surprising!"

* * *

"Are you ready for a show, everyone?" Dennis shouted out.

"Yeah!" Ruri cheered.

"No," Yuto said under his breath. "Fucking eat-"

"I dedicate this performance to you, Ruri!"

Ruri egao'd, but Yuto started growling. This was a horrible thing to do; if Dennis won, then Ruri would be wowed. But if Dennis lost, then he dedicated a faulty performance to her. One that _failed_. And Ruri was not a failure.

Yuto was practically foaming at the mouth now.

"With my Scale 1 Performage Card Dealer, and my Scale 6 Performage Overlay Juggler, I set the Pendulum Scales!"

Once again, two pillars of blue light rose to the sky, along with the monsters inside them. This time, the Scale 1 monster was one the others hadn't seen before; it was a small, monkey-like creature in a top cat, springing a full deck of playing cards from hand to hand. It wore a pale mask that covered the top half of its face, with heart-shaped eye holes and tear-like spades underneath its eyes.

"When Card Dealer is first activated, I can shuffle a card from my hand back into my Deck," Dennis explained. "Then, I draw one card. And if it's a Performage Pendulum monster, I can draw again!"

Dennis slid a hand into his Deck. The Duel Disk shuffled the deck automatically.

"Shall we see what I got?"

Dennis drew a card. For a moment, he went silent. Just staring at the card.

"Well?" Yuto asked impatiently.

"I drew... I drew..."

Yuto frowned. "Hurry up!"

"I DREW A PERFORMAGE PENDULUM MONSTER!" Dennis laughed.

Dennis flipped the card over, revealing it to be Performage Wing Sandwichman. A large egao grew on his face. And then, he pulled the top card out from his Deck.

"Hope you enjoy the show, Ruri!" Dennis shouted. "I Pendulum Summon!"

Now Yuto was _actually_ foaming at the mouth.

From the oscillating Pendulum above, two lights fell to the ground. Two Performage Wing Sandwichman (Wing Sandwichmen?) flanked Dennis's left and right. **(ATK 1800)**

"Yuto, do you like magic tricks?"

Yuto raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I do!" Sawatari said excitedly. "What about me? I like magic tricks! Me!"

"Sawatari, this is between me and Yuto! But I appreciate your enthusiasm."

"But-"

"Butt out, Sawatari!" Yuto barked at him.

Dennis cleared his throat. "When Performage Cup Tricker is in my hand, I can detach an Overlay Unit from an Xyz Monster anywhere on the Field! Then, I can Special Summon my Cup Tricker..."

An Overlay Unit flew away from Break Sword's orbit, landing on Dennis's side of the field. A large, green cup with yellow stars materialized on the field. It shook violently until it fell on its side, exposing a happy little creature inside. **(ATK 1200)** It egao'd at Yuto and waved, then grabbed hold of the Overlay Unit. It pulled out a smaller cup and placed the Overlay Unit inside. It shook the cup, then revealed it to Yuto: nothing was inside.

"... And the targeted Xyz monster loses 600 ATK." **(ATK 2000 → 1400)**

Yuto growled. "You steal from my field, just as you try to steal Ruri. You're sick."

"Ow! Don't be so mean, Yuto!" Dennis begged. "Your words cut like a knife."

"Stop being such a jerk, Yuto!" Sawatari shouted.

"Yeah, Yuto," Ruri said. "Please, try to relax. You know I'm not going to be stolen away from you."

Dennis turned to Ruri and winked. Then he turned back to Yuto and said, "Or maybe she will? I have to admit, many a lady has fallen for my charms when I duel."

Yuto's blood started to boil. His face turned bright red. Sweat was pouring down his forehead. Even his eyes turned bloodshot.

"I overlay my three Level 5 monsters!" Dennis announced. "Show yourself, artist of the netherworld!"

Into the vortex and back out again. The monsters became three Overlay Units (one golden, and two a soft orange) that floated above a black blob on the ground.

"Xyz Summon! Rank 5, Performage Shadow Maker!"

The blob rose up, taking the shape of a flat, egao-ing humanoid. The Overlay Units started to circle around its torso. A pair of large scissors materialized in its hands. **(ATK 2600)**

Sawatari gasped. "That monster's way stronger than ours!"

"Shadow Maker's effect!" Dennis declared. "Once per turn, I can detach an Overlay Unit from this monster; then I can Special Summon another Shadow Maker from my Extra Deck!"

Shadow Maker brought its scissor blades to its torso. The gold Overlay Unit left Shadow Maker's body and flew into the scissors.

"What's it going to do?" Ruri wondered.

Shadow Maker pulled on the scissors to a close, cutting its body in half. Ruri let out a yelp of surprise. "Oh!"

The bottom half of the monster's body fell to the ground. But then, after a moment, it rose back up. It took the form of another Performage Shadow Maker, complete with a matching pair of scissors. **(ATK 2600)**

"I'm not done!" Dennis announced. "When Cup Tricker is detached from an Xyz monster and sent to the Graveyard, I can transfer one Overlay Unit from one of my monsters to another!"

Performage Cup Tricker manifested on the field, floating between the two Shadow Makers. One of the first Shadow Maker's Overlay Units floated into one of Cup Tricker's smaller cups. The little monster shook the cup and revealed it to Yuto, showing that it was once again empty. And then, the monster faded away.

"You see where this is going, don't you? I'll summon a third Shadow Maker!"

The second Shadow Maker egao'd, then brought the scissors back to its body. The Overlay Unit appeared around its torso, then entered the scissors. And the second Shadow Maker cut its body in half.

Once again, the lower half of the body fell to the ground. And it rose back up, becoming a third Shadow Maker with a pair of scissors. **(ATK 2600)**

"So cool!" Ruri gasped. "Dennis, that's amazing!"

"NRNNNNNNNNNNNNGH..." Yuto gagged.

"Thank you!" Dennis responded to Ruri.

"NNRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-"

"Now you can destroy my monster and wipe me out!" Sawatari exclaimed happily. "Guess I better awesomely grab an Action Card and-"

"I'm not aiming for you, Shingo," Dennis said. "This is between me and our friend here. So just sit tight and wait for me, okay?"

Sawatari fell onto his hands and knees, crushed. He had to face reality as the third wheel here. They didn't even care enough about him to wipe him out early.

"Battle time!" Dennis announced. "My first Shadow Maker attacks Yuto's Break Sword!"

"I activate my Trap card!" Yuto announced. "Phantom Knights' Sword!"

The face-down card rose up, revealing a spectral sword with a skull handle. The Phantom Knights of Break Sword's own sword vanished, to be replaced by this new one. **(Break Sword ATK 1400 → 2200)**

"I targeted Break Sword this this card, giving it a boost of 800 ATK," Yuto explained. "And the first time that my monster would be destroyed, Phantom Knights' Sword is destroyed instead."

Break Sword pulled its sword back and brought it down at Shadow Maker. The shadow, however, caught the sword between its scissor blades. It cut down on the sword, shattering it. **(Yuto: 4000 → 3600)**

Break Sword's old sword appeared in its hand. **(Break Sword ATK 2200 → 1400)**

"I can still attack with my other two monsters!" Dennis roared. "My second Shadow Maker attacks The Phantom Knights of Break Sword!"

The Shadow Maker's scissors clashed against Break Sword's sword. When the scissors were brought down this time, the entire enemy monster was shattered. **(Yuto: 3600 → 2400)**

"When The Phantom Knights of Break Sword is destroyed, I can activate its effect," Yuto said. "I can Special Summon two of my Phantom Knights of the same Level from my Graveyard. Their levels are increased by 1."

As Break Sword's body shattered, two more bodies rose from the ground. Both Ancient Cloak **(DEF 1000, Level 4)** and Silent Boots **(DEF 1200, Level 4)** crouched down and guarded their master.

"I can banish my Phantom Knights' Sword to Special Summon The Phantom Knights of Break Sword from my Graveyard, but it's banished when it leaves the field."

The neigh of a horse echoed from the ground. The Phantom Knights of Break Sword was rising out of the dirt, holding its classic sword to the air. **(ATK 2000)**

Yuto bit his lip. He had Summoned Break Sword in Attack mode for a reason: it _needed_ to be the target. The needed to draw Dennis's fire away from his other monsters.

"Hmmmm..." Dennis mused. "Now, which monster do I attack? Should I go for a weak monter and get it out of the way first... Or do I go for your Xyz monster, and inflict some damage?"

Yuto looked to his right, searching for any nearby Action Cards. At any rate, it probably wouldn't hurt to try and grab one, no matter which monster Dennis chose to attack.

"I think I'll target..."

Yuto took a step forward. But his other leg wouldn't move.

"Break Sword!"

Yuto looked down. A Shadow Maker was flat on the floor, holding on to his leg with one of its hands. He pulled back, attempting to break free of the monster, but it's hold on him was too strong.

He heard the battle and looked up, just in time to see his Break Sword fall to a Shadow Maker's blade. **(Yuto: 2400 → 1800)**

"I set one card face-down, and end my turn," Dennis said to him.

Dennis's turn ended with his two Pendulum Scales, a face-down Spell/Trap, and his three Shadow Makers on the field. He had no cards in his hand, and his life points were still at 4000.

* * *

With the card he drew, Yuto now had three cards in his hand.

Even in his anger, he still wanted to conserve his resources. Unlike Dennis, who used his entire hand to create his big display, Yuto was going to try and play things safe.

First things first: use his monsters. Right now, he had all the things he needed to bring out his ace monster.

"With my Level 4 Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak and Silent Boots, I build the Overlay Network!"

Yuto's monsters returned to the black hole, which had opened for what seemed like the eight hundred thousandth time this chatper.

"Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"

From the hole came came the pitch-black dragon. The beast let out a threatening roar as it appeared before everyone. Two purple Overlay Units revolved around its body. (ATK 2500)

And then it turned around and gave Yuto a hug.

Yuto cleared his throat. "A-hem! Yes, I missed- I missed you, too."

Yuto looked back to Dennis and Ruri. It was a bit hard to keep up the anger when your best dragon buddy was hugging you, but he was sure going to try.

"Dark Rebellion's effect activates," Yuto said to the others. "By removing an Overlay Unit, I can target one monster my opponent controls; it loses half of its ATK, and Dark Rebellion gains that much ATK."

Sawatari put his hands to the side of his face and gasped. "Superstar, no!"

"I'm targeting a Shadow Maker, Macfield. Treason Discharge!"

An Overlay Unit disappeared into Dark Rebellion's mouth. The dragon emitted a purple lighting, which shot down on the Dennis's first Performage Shadow Maker. The Shadow Maker made a loud, howling laugh of excitement. **(ATK 2600 → 1300) (Dark Rebellion ATK 2500 → 3800)**

"Then, I target another Shadow Maker and do the same! Treason Discharge!"

The second Overlay Unit disappeared into the dragon's mouth, and another Shadow Maker was blasted by the lighting. This time, the monster simply frowned and growled. **(ATK 2600 → 1300) (Dark Rebellion ATK 3800 → 5100)**

"I banish The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak from my Graveyard!" Yuto announced. "This allows me to add one The Phantom Knights card from my Deck to my hand."

A card ejected near the bottom of Yuto's deck. Yuto grabbed the card and revealed it to his enemy. It was The Phantom Knights' Rank-Up-Magic Launch.

"A good card!" Dennis said with an egao. "I bet I know where this is going."

"Hey, I can't see it!" Sawatari called out. "Point it over here!"

"I activate The Phantom Knights' Rank-Up-Magic Launch!" Yuto announced. "I can target one DARK Xyz monster I control without any Overlay Units; I can Xyz Summon an Xyz monster that's one Rank higher, from my Extra Deck. Both my monster and my Spell Card will act as its materials."

The black hole ripped through the ground, and it extended its black tendrils around Dark Rebellion. The Dragon was slowly smothered in a sea of ever-rising tendrils, blanketing in black until it was completely covered.

"From the depths of purgatory, dedicate to the unsinking souls your song of rebellion! Appear and echo forevermore!"

The monster let out a roar. It clawed through the tendrils, ripping apart the darkness that engulfed it. It now sported a new, armored body and wings that displayed a wide array of beautiful colors. **(ATK 3000)**

"Rank-Up Xyz Change! Play the sounds of disobedience! Rank 5, Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon!"

"Amazing!" Ruri cried out. "Dark Requiem, your wings are beautiful!"

The dragon egao'd. Honestly, it was a lot more threatening and scary than the dragon had intended to be.

"Wow!" Dennis exclaimed. "So that's your plan, huh? Weaken my monsters, then hit hard with your yours?"

Fucking Dennis, man. It wasn't in his right to say that. That was for Yuto to announce. Fucking _Dennis_.

"Dark Requiem's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can reduce one of your monster's ATK to 0, and Dark Requiem gains ATK equal to your monster's original... ATK."

"Dennis is screwed!" Sawatari announced. "Guess I better prep for my next turn, when I fight to kick Yuto's a-"

"And I target your last Shadow Maker!" Yuto continued. "Requiem Salvation!"

Dark Requiem flew into the air. It spread its glorious wings. The sun's rays were caught in them, casting beautiful lights across the entire field. Everyone was caught gasping in amazement over the beautiful display of colors.

The Last Shadow Maker didn't seem upset, either; it quietly awed as its body started to crackle with lightning. **(Shadow Maker ATK 2600 → 0) (Dark Requiem ATK 3000** **5600)**

The dragon flew back down to the ground, and its colorful display ceased. With the light show over, everyone was left to realize the aftermath.

Dennis covered his mouth with both hands. "Oh no!"

Yuto threw up his arm and pointed at Dennis. "Battle! Dark Requiem attacks-"

He could feel something pull his arm back. A Shadow Maker had grabbed hold of his arm and started to pull it back. The monster was trapping him again.

"Dark Requiem attacks your last Shadow Maker!"

"Ruri!" Dennis exclaimed. "I'll get out of this, don't worry! I won't let you down!"

"NASHHHHSSSSSSNHRRHRHRH-"

Dennis was on the move. He backflipped several times, moving towards one of the floating platforms. "Look at this, guys!"

And then Dennis's hand slipped, and he fell to the ground.

"Good job," Yuto mocked. "Dark Requiem, at..."

Yuto's eyes fell back to his dragon. The other two Shadow Makers held onto its arms, forcing it in place. The dragon let out a roar and flailed itself wildly, trying in vain to break their hold.

Yuto's eyes shifted back to where Dennis had been. He wasn't there. It was all a distraction.

 _"Action Card - Selection of Miracle!"_ came Dennis's voice.

Everyone looked up. Dennis was on higher platforms, waving to the crowd. "Any battle damage from this battle is halved!"

The Shadows let go of their hostages, slinking back to Dennis's side of the field. And with its regained freedom, Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon spread its wings and took to the air. It opened its mouth and fired a purple bolt of lighting down on one of the Shadow Makers, destroying it. **(Dennis: 4000 → 1200)**

"Good job, Yuto!" Ruri called out. "You almost got him!"

He didn't acknowledge Ruri's words. Yuto kept his eyes on Dennis. At the moment, he was focused more on winning than anything else.

A content Dennis hummed as he jumped down from platform to platform, until he reached the ground. When he reached his spot on the field, he gave everyone a proud little egao.

"What?" Yuto asked. "What are you smiling about?"

Dennis chuckled. "You didn't think I could see a set-up coming from a mile away?"

"What?" Yuto questioned.

"I knew you wanted me to attack your Break Sword!" Dennis announced. "I _wanted_ you to Xyz summon a strong monster."

"But why?" Sawatari asked. "Now it'll be even harder for me to beat him!"

"Because I wanted him to destroy my monster, Shingo~"

Yuto went silent. Ruri put a hand to her mouth to stifle her gasp. Sawatari's jaw almost literally dropped to the ground.

"I activate my face-down! Rank-Up-Magic Magical Force!" Dennis declared. "When an Xyz monster is destroyed by battle and sent to my Graveyard this turn, I can Special Summon that monster, then use it as Xyz Material to Xyz Summon a monster that's one Rank higher!"

The swirling black hole opened up. A shadowy blob rose up from Dennis's Duel Disk, then hurled itself into the hole. The Rank-Up-Magic card dissolved into a wisp of light, then followed the shadow into the portal.

"The show must go on! Master of magic and speaker of spells! Your charismatic presence draws the entire world to you!"

From the black hole came twin ropes, which took to the sky. They were attached to a long trapeze bar, held onto by two gloved hands.

"Rank-Up Xyz Change! Rank 6, Performage Arch-Magician!"

The new monster flew on out of the portal and into the air. It was a monster similar to Trapeze Magician, with a masquerade mask. It had a purple tophat, with a gold star pattern. It wore a purple-and-gold suit with a cravat, not unlike Yusho Sakaki's performing outfit. A long black cape with a purple underbelly billowed behind it. Two dark, inky purple Overlay Units orbited around its torso. **(ATK 3300)**

"Are you ready for my turn, Yuto?" Dennis said cheerfully. "Because the show must go on!"

* * *

 _ **A/N: In the anime, Shadow Maker's effect could only be activated when it's targeted by card effects. In-universe, this restriction is no longer true thanks to Zarc's changes. And since Shadow Maker was never summoned after Zarc's return, this doesn't contradict anything in the anime.**_

 _ **Out-of-universe, this is just more convenient for me. Otherwise, Dennis would just have to grab some Action Cards and target his monsters, and that would not only be kind of repetitive to read, but it would also bog down the story.**_

 _ **Dark Rebellion is another card that got changed. It can target any monster, not just ones that are Level 5 or higher, to align with its IRL effect. It still keeps the one Overlay cost it has in the anime though, so as not to contradict the anime.**_

 _ **Next time: The war between Yuto and Dennis continues, and Yuto's anger grows out of hand. Also, Sawatari is there. Hope you studied on on Chaos Theory.**_


	26. Rank 10: Chaos Theory

_**Fun Fact: Yuri will jokingly call her Serena "Celery," but that's largely because he forgot her real name.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: The three-way duel continues on, and Dennis shows off the strength of his new monster.**_

* * *

Deep within the mindscape, Yuri and Yugo had together by a coffee table. They were enjoying tea (for Yuri) and Gatorade (for Yugo), and engaging in their occasional discussions. Today's discussion was a bit more serious than usual, though.

"I don't know, Polymerization," Yuri sighed.

"It's not Polymerization, it's _Yugo_!" Yugo screeched.

"... I just feel like you're the only one here who likes me."

"You murdered me."

"You're the one I like the most," Yuri said. "Well, you're the one I dislike the least. Yuto is a mean little asshole who sucks at dueling, and Yuya got mad when I told him the truth."

"You get why Yuya's mad, right? You insulted Dad."

"I told Yuya what he needed to hear!" Yuri scoffed. "Honestly, I try to help people and care for others. But when I do, I just get yelled at. It's like, why should I even bother?"

"Maybe if you weren't a dick all the time, people would be nicer to you."

"This is no time for jokes, Fusion Recycling Plant. Sometimes I think, maybe I should just card everyone in the world. Then if I'm alone, Yuya and Yuto are also forced to be alone."

Yugo splurted out some of his drink.

"Y-you know, Yuya wants to be your friend," Yugo said hastily. "Why don't you apologize to him and work things out?"

"I did nothing wrong," Yuri said defensively. "Yuya can't handle the truth, and if he's going to reject my kindness, he doesn't deserve it. I'll never forgive that tomato."

Yugo smirked. "You're an idiot."

"But not an _evil_ idiot," Yuri added.

"Per-may-haps, indeed."

"But if I'm an idiot, wouldn't that mean you're even dumber? You lost to me."

Yugo splurted out his drink. This time, it was entirely on purpose, aiming right at Yuri's face. Yuri only barely managed to duck and avoid the spit.

It was about this time that Yuya appeared at the edge of the mindscape. He waved to his counterparts and started making his way over to them.

"Hey, guys!" Yuya called. "I was thinking, would you guys be up for a duel?"

Yuri pushed his chair out and stood up. Without answering to anyone, he walked off into the fog and disappeared from sight.

* * *

"Performage..." Ruri said.

"... Trapeze..." Sawatari said.

"... Arch-Magician?" Yuto concluded.

"Performage Trapeze Arch-Magician," Dennis confirmed. "My time in the Xyz Dimension has taught me a lot of things. Things like climbing up the Ranks and improving my Xyz Summoning skills."

"You could say that you're on a whole 'nother level!" Sawatari replied.

Dennis chuckled once more. "Well, not quite. Xyz monsters don't have Levels!"

Dennis, Sawatari, and the two remaining Shadow Makers burst out laughing. For a little too long for Yuto and Ruri's liking.

"That's-a-that's-" Sawatari cried.

They held onto their stomachs and heaved, nearly gagging on the comedy. Yuto, Dark Requiem and Ruri just looked at each other and cringed.

After a long, long, long moment, the group calmed down. Their laughs started to peter out, and they ended their session with content sighs.

"Ah, we have fun," Dennis said happily. "So, Yuto! If you have anything else left, do you mind ending your turn so I can go."

"My turn's next!" Sawatari snapped.

"Oh, whoops! I, uh, forgot about that."

Sawatari was fuming, probably even more than Yuto. If he wasn't going to get respect naturally, then he'd have to command respect on his turn.

* * *

Sawatari drew another card. And to his displeasure, it wasn't a Tuner. He wasn't going to show off his awesome Synchro Summoning Skills this turn, either.

"My turn will be short, but sweet," Sawatari explained. "Superstar's effect: once per turn, I can set an Abyss Script Spell to my field, but it's destroyed at the end of my turn."

A face-down card appeared directly behind Superstar. But just as soon as it was set, the card rose up to reveal itself to the world.

An archway rose from either end of Sawatari's side of the field. Streamers, confetty and balloons poured from the entrance, in all directions. For a brief moment, the sound of a fanfare could be heard.

"Abyss Script - Opening Ceremony!" Sawatari continued. "I gain 500 Life Points for each Abyss Actor monster I control!" **(Sawatari: 4000** **→ 4500)**

Cyan and navy fireworks shot out from either side of Superstar. The monster bowed again, and Sawatari applauded for it.

With something as festive as this, even Yuto couldn't focus on his hatred. His eyes were drawn to Sawatari's display.

"And I..." Sawatari started. "... Eeend my turn!"

"... That's it?" Ruri asked.

Sawatari rubbed the back of his yeah. "Yeah! Well! I! didn't get a good hand, hahaa...!"

Despite his big show, Sawatari ended his turn without much change. He had two cards in his hand, his Pendulum Scales, Abyss Actor - Superstar, and a face-down on his field. His Life Points sat at a comfortable 4500; higher than everyone else's.

* * *

Dennis may not have had the Life Point advantage, but he had a strong field to challenge his opponent. (And Sawatari.) His field consisted of two Shadow Makers **(ATK 1300)** , his Pendulum Scales, and Performage Trapeze Arch-Magician. **(ATK 3300)** He had one card in his hand, and his Life Points were at 1200.

"I'm sure you'll all dying to see what tricks my magician can do," Dennis said coolly. "And how will I overcome Dark Requiem's awesome might? Can my monster friend pull it off? Give him some motivation, guys!"

Dennis started to clap for his monster. His other two monsters dropped their scissors to applaud their new friend. Sawatari and (much to Yuto's displeasure) Ruri also applauded. Trapeze Arch-Magician waved to the crowd and took a bow.

Dennis snapped his fingers. "Trapeze Arch-Magician's first effect! By detaching one Overlay Unit from this card, I can target two monsters on the field. Their attacks are switched! Hat Trick!"

The magician pulled down its hat and bowed to Dark Requiem. A sea of colors poured from the latter's wings, turning them pale and colorless. The colors were sucked into the hat, which now carried all of the dragon's colors.

"Your anger and rage made you strong," Dennis explained to Yuto. "But now, that strength is mine. And I'm going to use it to wow the crowd!"

"Not so fast!" Yuto retorted. "You activated a monster effect, so I can detach an Overlay Unit from my monster, then negate te activation, and destroy your monster."

Dennis shook his head and tsked. "I'm sorry, Yuto. But I can't let you do that. I activate Trapeze Arch-Magician's second effect, Illusion Trick!"

Arch-Magician swung its hat over to a Shadow Maker. The hat fell to the ground before the monster. The Shadow Maker let out a pained yelp as its body and scissors wre forcibly sucked inside.

"Illusion Trick..." Dennis explained, "If Arch-Magician would be affected or destroyed by battle or effect, I can use an Overlay Unit to apply the effect to another monster I control, instead. So instead, Shadow Maker was destroyed!" **(Performage Trapeze Arch-Magician 3300 → 5600) (Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon 5600 → 3300)**

Ruri's eyes twinkled in amazement. "Oh wow, that's quick thinking, Dennis!"

Yuto glared at Dennis's monster. Trapeze Arch-Magician greete the boy with a sinister egao, then placed its hat back on its head.

"The other part of Dark Requiem's effect activates," Yuto continued. "Since your onster was destroyed, I can Special Summon an Xyz monster from my Graveyard."

A spot on the field started to glow. Dark Rebellion rose fro the ground and took a spot right beside Dark Requiem. It let out a defiant, proud roar to signal its return. **(DEF 2000)**

And then it hugged Yuto again.

"Since Shadow Maker can't destroy any of your monsters," Dennis said. "I'm going to switch it to Defense position." **(DEF 1000)**

"Battle!" Dennis announced. "Performage Trapeze Arch-Magician attacks your Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon!"

Yuto knew he couldn't let this attack hit. With only 1800 Life Points, he'd be a wiped out and lose. He had to be quick, and move for an Action Card before the last Shadow Maker could hold him down.

But as Yuto turned around, he heard Sawatari's voice: _"Action Card - Circlet of Magnetism!"_

Everyone turned their eyes back on Sawatari. The boy was standing high above everyone, looking down at them with a confident egao.

"I can target one monster I control," Sawatari went on. "My monster loses 500 ATK and DEF, but my opponent can't target any monster for an attack but that one." **(Abyss Actor - Superstar ATK 2500 → 2000)**

"Sawatari!" Yuto howled. "What are you doing?!"

Sawatari brushed some of his hair back. "You didn't think I'd let you lose like this, right? I can't let the show end like this!"

Dennis shrugged. "Good thinking, Shingo. But that means that Trapeze Arch-Magician will be attacking _you_ , now!"

Trapeze Arch-Magician held out its bar with two hands. From either end, gold strings shot out. They flew up to Sawatari's platform and attached themselves to the bottom, creating a trapeze. The monster jumped into the air, and the wires shortened to accommodate.

The monster let out a menacing laugh as it lunged at Superstar. Its foot connected to Superstar's face, causing the Abyss Actor to shatter. **(Sawatari: 4500 → 900)**

"I hope this was worth it, Shingo," Dennis called out.

Sawatari nodded. "You can't push the show's star out of the spotlight!"

"Dennis! Sawatari!" Ruri shouted. "You're both doing great! This is one of the best show's I've seen in a long time!"

"Please, Ruri," Yuto said quietly. "I need you to root for me."

Yuto had so much he wanted to say now. Looking at Ruri, his feelings were an unreadable mess. He knew how he _should_ feel (angry), but he couldn't get those feelings straightened out when he looked at her.

He wanted to break down and talk to her, to share his misery with her. But spilling his feelings wasn't his thing.

His gaze drifted back to Dennis. _Now_ he felt anger. And he was reminded why he was so angry, and how bad he had felt. Right then, anger was the only thing in his mind that made sense to him.

He couldn't just talk about it. It wasn't anyone's burden to bear but his.

"End your turn!" Yuto yelled. "I'm going to kick your ass, Dennis!"

"Eh?" Dennis wondered. "Eh, okay, then... I end my turn. You're up, Yuto."

* * *

Yuto drew a card, giving him four cards in his hand. He may not have had the strongest monsters, but he had the card advantage and Life Points. He was already calculating a plan to use what he had to defeat Dennis in a few turns.

He looked to Ruri, who was staring back at him. Right now, he was the one who had her attention.

"I banish the Phantom Knights of Silent Boots from my Graveyard," he stated. "This lets me add one Phantom Knights Spell or Trap Card from my Deck to my hand."

The top card of Yuto's Deck was ejected. Yuto grabbed the card and presented it to his opponent. It was Phantom Knights' Fog Blade.

"I set the card on my field," Yuto continued. "Dark Rebellion, Dark Requiem, hold off Dennis."

The dragons complied. They flew over to Dennis's side of the field, much to Dennis's surprise. Arch-Magician grabbed hold of Dark Requiem and attempted to keep it away from its master, but Dark Rebellion flew past it and headed right at Dennis.

With that, Yuto took off running down the lot. He had one thing on his mind now: grab an Action Card, and hope it'll be enough to gain an advantage. Even if it was a minor ATK boost, or something that could even destroy Trapeze Arch-Magician, any help he could get would be a blessing.

Yuto came up to a large slag heap, near his end of the lot. There, resting on the surface of the pile, was an Action Card. "Yes!"

It was walled off my a small chain-link fence, but Yuto had no trouble grabbing hold of the chains and climbing up. He hopped over the fence and jumped into the heap.

"Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon attacks Performage Shadow Maker!" Yuto announced.

Yuto hopped over the fence. The moment his feet touched the ground, he placed a card on the field. "At this time, I activate the Action Spell - Haunted Lance! It increases my monster's ATK by 500 and inflicts piercing damage!"

Dark Requiem pulled itself away from Arch-Magician and flew above the ground. Twin black lances appeared in its claws.

 _"Action Card - No Action!"_

It was Sawatari again. Everyone followed the voice to the boy, who was now on another platform.

"Your Action Card's negated!" Sawatari informed him.

"Why'd you do that?!"

"Don't underestimate me, Yuto. I'm your enemy, just like Dennis."

Yuto ran towards the field, while Dark Requiem blasted Shadow Maker with lightning. Dennis's monster let out a pained scream as it was destroyed.

Sawatari jumped back down to his side of the field, just as Yuto came onto the scene. As their eyes met, Yuto gave him a small nod.

"I switch Dark Rebellion into Defense," Yuto said. "Then I end my turn here." **(Dark Rebellion DEF 2000)**

Sawatari raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to attack me? Not that I'm complaining, but I don't want you underestimating me."

Yuto nodded again. "You still saved me from losing last turn. I shouldn't have counted you out."

"I'd say we're even now!" Sawatari said proudly. "I saved you, you don't wipe me out. Just make sure you never underestimate me again!"

Yuto ended his turn with his two dragons on the field, a face-down Trap, and 4 cards in his hand. He had 1800 Life Points.

* * *

Sawatari drew another card. And to his annoyance, it wasn't a Tuner. He was _really_ regretting not taking course on proper deckbuilding now.

"Pendulum Summon!" Sawatari announced.

Twin lights fell from the swinging pendulum above, bringing two monsters to the field. Abyss Actor - Superstar **(ATK 2500)** bowed once more to its audience, while Abyss Actor - Wild Hope **(DEF 1200)** cocked its gun and looked to the side.

"From my Extra Deck, Abyss Actor - Superstar! And from my hand, Wild Hope!"

"You have our attention, Sawatari!" Dennis called out. "I won't be forgetting you so soon."

Yuto nodded again. "Show us what you can do. We're all watching."

"Superstar's effect!" Sawatari announced. "Once per turn, I can set an Abyss Script Spell to my field!"

A face-down card appeared directly behind Superstar. But just as soon as it was set, the card rose up to reveal itself to the world.

An archway rose from either end of Sawatari's side of the field. Streamers, confetty and balloons poured from the entrance, in all directions. And once again, another trumpet fanfare came from an unknown source.

"Abyss Script - Opening Ceremony!" Sawatari continued. "I gain 500 Life Points for each Abyss Actor monster I control!" **(Sawatari: 900** **→ 1900)**

Confetti rained down on Sawatari and his monsters. They held their hands to the sky and soaked in the praise.

"Can he turn this around though?" Ruri wondered. "Sawatari, good luck!"

Yuto grumbled.

"Battle phase!" Sawatari declared. "Superstar attacks Yuto's Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"

Yuto wasn't going to let Sawatari succeed. Now that he knew Sawatari was in the game seriously, he couldn't afford to lose any advantage. He quickly took off running, this time in Ruri's direction.

Following close behind him was Dark Requiem. The dragon scooped him up into his arms and rose into the air.

Ruri waved up at Yuto. "Good luck, Yuto!"

Yuto didn't hear her, or even see her wave to him. He was focused on searching the lot for an Action Card. Dark Requiem circled around the area in search of a card.

"Come on, come on..." Yuto grumbled. "Wait..."

He spotted a card, right at the edge of the lot, just before the street. Dark Requiem dove closer to the ground and made a mad dash towards it.

Before they could even reach the card, they could hear an explosion. Yuto turned around to the field.

No Dark Rebellion.

Dark Requiem landed on the ground. Yuto immediately hopped out of its grasp and ran to pick the Action Card up. Too little, too late. But it was better than having nothing. Once again, he was going to have to settle.

Yuto and Dark Requiem made the slow walk over to the others. He could see them talking, hear them laughing as he walked. They were having a lot more fun with this duel than he was.

 _Because I'm fighting for a reason,_ Yuto told himself.

He finally reached the group as Dennis finished up a small quip, leading Ruri to laugh. That just made Yuto's blood boil even more.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, buddy," Sawatari grumbled. "But this next card I'm setting will blow you away."

Sawatari set another Spell or Trap card on his field. "My Abyss Script Spells are deadly. If you try and mess with me, you'll lose. You should totally destroy them if you can."

"Wow, this is a predicament..." Dennis said nervously. "Both of my opponent's have face-downs, and I don't have any cards in my hand to remove them."

"It'll understand if you want to give up, instead of facing me. Many people leave in the middle of dueling me."

Dennis turned to Ruri and winked. "Can I really get out of it, though? Ruri?"

"I think you can, Dennis," Ruri replied. "I _know_ you can. Show the others how strong you are!"

"Ruri, stop!" Yuto screamed.

Ruri's ears perked up. She looked over to Yuto and took a few steps towards him.

"What was that, Yuto?" she asked.

An uncomfortable quiet fell over the group. Yuto hesitated for a moment, unsure if he wanted to continue.

It took a moment for him to finally speak. "I need you to root for me. Please, just take my side in this duel."

"What? But Dennis and Sawatari are our friends-"

"Please!" Yuto barked. "Forget about Dennis, about Sawatari! I need... I..."

The other three people looked to him. Ruri continued to move closer to him, but all of them were silent.

* * *

 _ **A/N: The official effect for Dark Requiem: "During either player's turn, when your opponent activates a monster effect: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; negate the activation, and if you do, destroy that card, then you can Special Summon 1 Xyz Monster from your Graveyard."**_

 _ **I couldn't find any rulings that said the monster had to have its effect negated to summon another Xyz monster. I took the "destroy that card, then..." part as destruction being the key trigger for the latter part of the effect.**_

 _ **Ultimately, since Dark Rebellion's revival amounted to nothing big here, aside from showing how Yuto plays defensively and strategically. If its revival turns out to be impossible via rulings, then its revival can easily be ignored. Maybe I could even go back and edit the story to remove it.**_

 _ **Next time: In the heat of battle, the root of Yuto's issues are revealed. Dennis unveils his ultimate weapon. Sawatari is there. Who will ultimately come out victorious in this duel? Besides Ruri, who is loving the fact that guys are fighting over her. Someone has A Date with Pain.**_


	27. Rank 11: A Date with Pain

_**A/N: When I write, I don't really have a moral or lesson I want to impart. When a character faces a personal dilemma, I just try to present a possible idea or solution to help them. But if there is one thing that you should glean from the story, I hope it is this: Kicking someone's ass in Yu-Gi-Oh! is very fun. I hope you all get YGOPro or something, make some decks, and just wail on people with horrible FTK decks until they cry. That is the true path to happiness.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: Beneath that friendly, lady-like exterior beats the heart of a deviant. You thought Yuto was bad with looking up porn? Ruri is worse, but she's at least better at covering her tracks.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: One card can turn the entire duel on its head.**_

* * *

Sawatari, Dennis and Ruri stood before Yuto. They waited for him to speak, anxious to understand his pain. But Yuto kept his lips shut.

"What's wrong, Yuto?" Ruri asked again.

"I think I know what's wrong," Sawatari said finally. "A true Entertainment Duelist knows the heart of their opponent."

"Sawatari, I swear to God," Ruri said hastily. "If the next thing out of your mouth is something stupid, I am going to pop you in the mouth."

The trio's eyes widened with shock. Sawatari shrank and stuck a sheepish step back. And Ruri blushed and pushed some strands of hair behind her ear.

"I-I'm sorry..." she said meekly. "I was just... Yeah... Sorry!"

After an awkward moment of even more silence, Ruri and Dennis turned to look back at Yuto. They nodded politely, a sign that they were willing to listen to anything he had to say.

Yuto let out a long, heavy sigh. "I'm just tired of it."

"Of what?" Dennis asked.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..." Ruri cried out.

"... Yuri can do whatever he wants," Yuto sighed. "And Yuya will apologize and make excuses."

"What?" Ruri questioned.

"I didn't want to split away from you. But everyone else decided that for me."

"But that was for Serena," Ruri responded. "And so we could all still hang around-"

"I don't live in my home town. I fought in a war I never agreed to. We're kept apart because it's for someone else's good. It's wrong."

"But I'm here with you now!" Ruri said hopefully.

"I'm sick and tired of letting people get away with this!"

Ruri went silent, and her face lost its smile. Dennis and Sawatari looked to each other nervously. They weren't sure if they were supposed to be listening in, or if this was meant to be a private moment between Yuto and Ruri. But since they couldn't just walk away in the middle of a duel, they just sort resigned to sticking around.

"I'm just tired, okay?" Yuto confessed. "Tired of everyone working to make everyone else happy. And I just get stuck with the consequences because I'm not the one causing shit."

Yuto and Ruri stared into each other's eyes. Both their eyes were filled with sympathy and sadness. No words were said, but Yuto knew that she was able to understand his feelings. At least on some small level.

"So can we get back to the duel now?" Sawatari asked. "I need to end my turn now."

Dennis elbowed Sawatari in the stomach.

Ruri finally threw her arms around the boy and squeezed him tight. Dark Requiem walked over and joined in on the hug.

"I needed you to be there for me, instead of Dennis," Yuto sighed. "I need you in my corner. I just needed someone to back me up, instead of taking someone else's side."

Yuto took a deep breath. "I wanted to be-"

"Put first for once," Dennis finished. "So you challenged me because you wanted to make sure that Ruri would stick to you, and only you."

Yuto nodded.

"So that's why you're fighting Dennis?" Ruri whispered. "You weren't just jealous, you were mad about losing another thing."

Yuto turned his head and looked away. He was extremely uncomfortable at this point. Spilling all of this, even to Ruri, felt embarrassing. He was regretting it so much right then.

"That's really sweet," Ruri said softly. "You're fighting for me!"

"Really?" Sawatari muttered. "Seems kind of creepy that he got so posse-"

Dennis elbowed Sawatari in the stomach. Sawatari clutched his stomach and stifled a scream, while Dennis remained tranquil.

"It's really sweet!" Dennis agreed. "Right, Sawatari?"

"Y-yeah..."

Yuto broke free from Ruri's embrace and took a step back. Ruri could feel the tension and misery around him, even now.

"Let's get back to the duel," he said.

"But we should talk about this!" Ruri protested. "You- you just opened up! Don't just shut me out again, now that I know what's wrong!"

"Is there anything you _can_ do, though? Sawatari asked.

Sawatari instintively covered his stomach with his hands. But this time, Dennis's attack instead went for Sawatari's chin.

"Let's make Yuto egao through the duel," Dennis explained.

"But the problems are still gonna exist, even when the duel ends."

Dennis was once again about elbow Sawatari. He was stopped by Yuto, who raised his hand as a signal to stop.

"No, Sawatari's right," Yuto said. "It doesn't matter what I say. Nothing's going to change."

Another miserable silence fell on the group. Ruri stepped away from Yuto and took his hands in hers, looking forlornly into his eyes. Sawatari rubbed the back of his head and kicked at some gravel on the ground.

Dennis, however, put a hand to his chin. "You know... I think that, if we duel and lighten the mood, we can think of a solution."

"What do you mean?" Ruri asked.

"When you're miserable, you can only think of how sad you are. You never see the light at the end of the tunnel, even if someone shows it to you."

"But if your heart is light, and you can forget about the pain, your mind'll be free to be!"

"Exactly! Yuto's been miserable for so long, he's probably unable to see the answer."

"Alright!" Ruri cried out. "Let's make this the best Entertainment Duel, then! For Yuto!"

Yuto's head jumped up. A small egao crept up on his #shook face. He could feel a light weight lift from his heavy shoulders. "Guys..."

"We'll use this duel to show you how much we care!" Sawatari announced. "Dennis! I believe it's your turn now?"

Sawatari's turn ended with Abyss Actors - Superstar and Wild Hope on his field, along with two face-downs and his Pendulum Scales. His Life Points towered over everyone else's, at 1900.

* * *

"Thank you, Shingo!" Dennis cried. "Time to bring down the house! Draw!"

Dennis gracefully drew a card and jumped forward. He let the sparkles and confetti fly around him; he was so majestic, his body let him dazzle under the sun's spotlight.

"Looks like the show might draw to a close," Dennis continued. "Yuto! Be sure to try your hardest to keep it going!"

Yuto egao'd. "I'm always up for a challenge."

"Hmm! Performage Trapeze Arch Magician attacks your Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon!"

"At this time, I activate my face-down card," Yuto declared. "Phantom Knights' Fog Blade!"

Yuto's face-down card rose up, and a horned, animalistic skull escaped from the image. From the bottom of the skull came a long, vine-covered bone, acting as a handle. From the base of the skull came a thick, blue force. It took the shape of a sword's blade. It was like a dancing flame, but its movements were slower, and produced a tiny little wail as it moved.

"By targeting an Effect monster on the field with this card, I negate that monster's effects, that monster cannot attack, or be attacked."

" _Wow_!" Dennis exclaimed. "S-so this means that I can't win with Arch-Magician, then..."

"Yeah, good going there, Yuto," Sawatari groaned. "It can't be attacked now? How are we even going to beat it, then?!"

"Now it's a wall," Yuto explained. "An obstacle. But it's not a threat anymore."

"Ooooooh."

Ruri started to applaud. Dennis joined in, too. Sawatari, picking up on the other two, decided to also join in on the claps. Yuto blushed and lowered his eyes, hiding his growing egao.

"It's not that big of a deal," Yuto murmured. "It's just something until I figure out how to get rid of it."

"Oh, I can help with that!" Dennis offered."

Yuto rose his head to meet Dennis. "What?

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Rank-Up-Magic Spellcaster Force!"

"Another RUM?" Ruri gasped.

A black hole opened up in the center of the field. Trapeze Arch Magician trapeze'd into the hole, allowing its body to be sucked inside.

"Oh great superior illusionist, it's time for you to steal the show! Swing into the spotlight and captivate the world with your tricks! Rank-Up Xyz Change! "

A large, looming figure rose from the black hole. It wore a sharp suit, each limb a different color. Stars fell from its long, burgundy cape. In its gloved hands was an enormous magic wand. A pale white comedy mask rested above its face, and a red top hat kept its wild, long black hair in place.

"Rank 7, Performage Trapeze Master Magician!" **(ATK 4000)**

Yuto's eyes widened. He was staring down something that was large, intimidating and fabulous. And the one card he had to counter his enemy had just failed. The monster didn't have enough power to wipe out his Life Points, but it would be hard to recover from his monster's destruction.

"Trapeze Master Magician's effect activates!" Dennis declared. "My detaching two Overlay Units from it, I can Special Summon a Rank 4 or lower Performage Xyz monster from my Extra Deck! Master Magician will be returned to my Extra Deck at the end of the turn. But it won't matter for you, Yuto!"

A small black hole opened up on the field, yet again. This time, two strings rose up into the sky. They pulled up a trapeze bar, from which Performage Trapeze Magician dangled. As it appeared on the field, it waved happily to the crowd before it. **(ATK 2500)**

"... Then, I can attach a card in my hand as an Overlay Unit," Dennis went on. "And now, I detach that Overlay Unit, and then target Trapeze Master Magician; it can now make a second attack during the Battle Phase this turn."

Ruri's jaw dropped, and her hands were nervously pressing against her top lip. Sawatari bit on his lower lip and looked at his monsters. Yuto gritted his teeth, then brushed a bit of sweat from his brow.

"So you can destroy my monster, and then finish me off with another attack," Yuto surmised.

"Destroy Dark Requiem and one of my monsters with Master Magician, and then wipe out Yuto with Trapeze Magician?" Sawatari asked.

"This is my latest and greatest performance!" Dennis cried out. "A monster so magnificent, it excites the audience! Yuto, don't you like it? The rush of adrenaline, of fear?"

"... I think I understand," Yuto confirmed.

Dennis nodded vigorously. "Yes! It's scary, it's threatening, and it's impressive!"

"And it'll be more impressive when it falls."

"Ohh?" Dennis mused. "How are you going to do that?"

Yuto looked down at his hand. He didn't have anything he could use, did he? There had to be _something_ he could do, but what?

"We still have Action Cards," Sawatari scoffed. "And I have my face-downs!"

Yuto perked up. _Action Cards!_ Sawatari was a genius!

The boy immediately ran forward and jumped onto his dragon's back. Dark Requiem took off into the sky again, taking Yuto high enough to see over the field.

"Yuto!" Sawatari called out. "If you find an Action Card that can destroy Spells or Traps, use it on my first set card, okay?"

Yuto looked down onto the field. He nodded and met Sawatari's words with a thumb's up.

"... Did you just flip me off?"

"No!" Yuto shouted back. "It was a thumb's up!"

"Oh. Okay!"

"I'll let you search for Action Cards, guys!" Dennis cried out. "Bring the hope!"

With that said, Sawatari took off running. He made his way towards some bundled of wood, stacked and sorted into a staircase of planks. Naturally, he started climbing the steps and made his way towards the top.

Meanwhile, Yuto and Dark Requiem circled the lot. With much of the lot being empty, it would be fairly easy to spot any cards. But so far, he hadn't been able to find anything. After all the Action Cards that had been grabbed so far, Yuto considered the possibility that they might have run out.

He heard Ruri scream out his name.

Yuto and Dark Requiem dove down, until they were flying just a few feet off of the ground. They floated beside a tree at the edge of the lot. Ruri sat on a tree branch, waving a card to them.

"I found an Action Card for you!" she called out.

"Ruri, thank you!" Yuto responded.

"You're welcome! ... Please help me out of the tree, haha!"

Yuto and Dark Requiem touched the ground. Dark Requiem violently shook the tree until Ruri lost balance and fell out. Luckily, the dragon caught her in its arms and gently dropped her to the ground.

Yuto extended a hand to Ruri. Ruri took his hand and let him help her up. Once she rose up, she handed the Action Card over to him.

"I wanted to make sure you could find one," Ruri said. "Yuto, I really do want you to win."

"Thank you, Ruri," Yuto told her. "Come on, let's get back to the field.

* * *

Dennis waited on his side of the field with his two Magicians. They all stood and crossed their arms, tapping their feet. Dennis hummed a small tune to the notes of _Light of Hope._

Sawatari had returned to his side of the field, casually balancing the tip of an Action Card on his finger. "What song is that? Sounds familiar."

"I don't know," Dennis replied. "But don't you ever just get something stuck in your head, even when you've never heard of it before?"

"Yeah. Whenever there's something serious going on, I sometimes here music that goes DUN DUN DUN DUN-DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN. Like, you know?"

"I know."

"I don't know!" Ruri responded.

Coming up to the scene were Yuto and Ruri, who were being cradled in Dark Requiem's arms. The dragon brought them over to Yuto's side of the field and dropped them onto the ground.

"What are you guys talking about?" she asked.

"Background music," Dennis replied. "Don't you hear it sometimes?"

"No."

"Not in the past couple of months, at least," Yuto stated. "Not since Yuya's last duel with Reiji. Now can we get back to the duel?"

"Oh, yes!" Dennis exclaimed. "Did you guys get your Action Cards!"

Yuto held his up. "Action Card - Flight. It allows me to target a monster and give it 600 ATK."

Sawatari stopped balancing his card, letting it slide down between two of his fingers. "Action Magic - Mad Stopper! It get to target one of your monsters and prevent it from attacking this turn.."

Dennis shook his head. "I'm sorry, guys. I was hoping you'd be able to find Action Cards that would help you, like Miracle or Evasion."

"What? Why can't they help?" Ruri asked. "If Master Magician can't attack, then you can't beat Yuto or Sawatari."

"Master Magician is a master of spells!" Dennis explained. "It can't be targeted by the effects of my opponent's Spell cards, or be destroyed by them."

"So, this was all pointless?" Ruri asked.

"You made us waste our time?!" Sawatari whined.

"I wanted to give you a fighting chance," Dennis sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry!" Yuto responded. "Dennis, I was so mean to you earlier. But you still wanted to help me. You didn't waste our time at all."

"You wasted mine..." Sawatari grumbled.

"Th-thank you, Yuto!" Dennis gasped. "To be honest, I was a little hurt by your anger earlier. But we're friends, right? At least, I think we are..."

Yuto nodded. "At least we are _now_."

"... And even though we hit a rough spot, I want you to know that I still care."

"Agreed. I feel the same way."

"This is lovingly heartwarming and all, but can we hurry this up?" Sawatari asked. "I have a duel to win."

Dennis chuckled. "Right, sorry! Then I'll attack Dark Requiem with Trapeze Master Magician!"

"I'll activate my Action Card," Yuto declared. "Flight! I target Abyss Actor - Superstar and give it 600 ATK."

Ruri and Sawatari both gasped, as they had done near-constantly throughout this duel. Superstar sprouted large, angelic wings. A few white feathers fell from its wings, onto the ground. **(ATK 2500** **→ 3100)**

"Why this?" Sawatari asked.

"I'm going to lose this turn, anyway," Yuto replied. "The card won't help me, but it might help you stave off some damage."

"Yuto..."

Performage Trapeze Master Magician held its wand in its hands, extending its arms out to hold it away from its body. Its hands let go of the wand, letting it float in the air. And then, it jumped high into the air.

"Time for Yuto's finale," Dennis said. "Master Magician, Greatest Show on Earth!"

The monster came down from the sky, landing on its feet, right on the center of the wand. The edges of the wad sparked, and it and Master Magician were blasted forward. A stream of stars and and wave of fireworks followed in its wake, creating a beautiful display of color.

Yuto just looked on and egao'd. As Dennis's monster came upon his own, he could only think of how this entire match started: because of his anger and fear for an adversary. And now, he was ending the match against _friends_.

"Good luck with the duel, guys," he said weakly.

"Trap, activate!" Sawatari declared.

Everyone turned to Sawatari. Even their monsters stopped to stare at him. In the intensity of the moment, he commanded attention from everyone around him. They all waited to see what he could do to change the game.

"Mirror Force! When an opponent's monster declares an attack, I can destroy all Attack position monsters my opponents control!"

Just as Master Magician came upon Dark Requiem, a bright light sparked between them. The light bloomed into a large flash, which enguled the entire area in a blinding light.

* * *

Yuto's hand was shaking as he drew his next card. He was shaken and still processing what had happened. He wasn't even _supposed_ to have this turn; it was a miracle that let him get this far.

He looked around the lot. Ruri was looking to him and giving him a nod of encouragement. Dennis stood back, eyeing his almost-empty field with a small egao. Sawatari pushed some hair back from his eyes and looked up to the sky.

But then his eyes caught the sun, so he immediately looked back down and covered his eyes.

"I was hoping to save Mirror Force until after you or Dennis were knocked out!" Sawatari called. "But at least now, you have a chance to what you set out to do today."

Yuto nodded to him. He wasn't going to waste it.

"I summon The Phantom Knights of Cloven Helm!" Yuto declared.

A worn, cracked knight's helmet rose from the ground, and two floating hands appeared below it. The Phantom Knights of Cloven Helm floated directly in from of Yuto, being the only weapon he had left to fight. **(ATK 1500)**

"Battle! The Phantom Knights of Cloven Helm attacks Dennis directly!"

The monster floated across the field, holding its hands in front of itself. Dennis closed his eyes and spread his arms. He gladly took the monster into his arms as it attacked him, embracing it.

"It was fun, guys..." Dennis said, as he fell to the ground.

 **(Dennis: 1200 → 0)**

* * *

Now that it was Sawatari's turn, he drew a card from his Deck and added it to his hand. He dew the Level 2 Tuner, Dark Tinker. Which _would_ have been helpful, if he had any Level 6 or 9 Synchro monsters then.

 _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!_

"Battle!" Sawatari declared. "Abyss Actor - Wild Hope attacks The Phantom Knights of Cloven Helm!"

Wild Hope cocked its gun and aimed it at the helmet. After a moment of steadying its aim, a single bullet flew from the muzzle and shot right at the enemy, shattering it. **(Yuto: 1800 → 1700)**

"This is the end, Yuto!" Sawatari declared. "Any last words before I claim my rightful victory?"

"Yes," Yuto confirmed. " _Thank you_."

Sawatari smirked. "Abyss Actor - Superstar attacks you directly!"

* * *

The duel had ended. The Solid Vision had faded. The four kids had now gathered together at the center of the lot. They were exhausted, sweaty, and ragged, and absolutely happy about it.

"That was crazy!" Dennis cried. "Sawatari, that was just... I never imagined that would happen!"

"Ha! HA!" Sawatari cackled. "HAAAA!"

"What's going on now?" Yuto questioned.

"At first, you all belittled me!" Sawatari mocked. "You all ignored me! And guess who won the duel, using their own cards and strategy?"

He pointed a finger at Dennis. "Yuto! You may have knocked out his Life Points, but I was the one who overcame his strongest card!"

"That's great, Sawatari."

"It sure is! And you know what the best part is?"

"Probably."

"The best part is, I finally beat you! Remember, back when we first dueled?"

Yuto bit his lip and looked to Ruri. As evidenced by his puzzled expression, he didn't remember it at all.

Awkward.

Just kidding. Yuto totally remembered. He smply shrugged and said, "Yes, I remember."

"One counterpart down, three to go!" Sawatari declared. "Wait until my _~imported~_ therapist hears about this."

Ruri slipped her hand into Yuto's. "Yuto, can we go talk for a moment? Alone?"

 _"Ooooooohhh,"_ Sawatari teased.

"My heart's broken once more," Dennis sighed. "Still, I love a happy ending."

Ruri and Yuto stepped away from the others. They walked down the lot, making their way towards the slag heap, where they could talk quietly without being heard.

"What do you need?" Yuto asked her.

"I think we should date," Ruri said quickly. "Let's just get back into it."

Yuto's eyes widened. He pressed his back against the fence and folded his arms.

"Don't give me that look," Ruri pouted. "I miss being with you, kissing you."

"You know we can't, right?" Yuto said austerely.

Ruri sighed. "I miss you. I miss that part of us. And... I feel that loneliness you feel. I'm away from my family, my home. I had to accept the break-up, even if I didn't like it."

"... We shared the pain," Yuto admitted. "And I didn't really think about it, did I?"

Ruri grabbed both of Yuto's hands. She pressed their hands against her chest and leaned closer to him. Yuto turned away and blushed.

"We should support each other," she pressed on. "We both want this, and we both need this."

"But Serena, and the others-"

"You know what?" Ruri said. "Who cares."

Yuto blinked. "Wait, what?"

"So what if we date? We're not hurting anybody; Serena's thirsty for Yuya, not you. And it's not like Yuzu and Yuya thought this break-up out, anyway."

"... You have a point there. And we can keep it secret, because we'll just ask for privacy when we hang out."

Ruri's eyes widened with excitement. "And then we could finally have se-"

"No," Yuto said quickly. "You need to stop suggesting that."

"Aww... Still, good plan."

"It is, it is. Girlfriend."

"Let's go get some ice cream or something," Ruri said. "I'm getting a bit peckish."

Yuto snorted.

"What?"

"That bird pun," he chuckled.

"Wait, what pun? What pun?"

Yuto chuckled again. "You don't know?"

"Tell me! What did I say?"

Yuto couldn't answer. Seeing Ruri get frustrated over it just made him laugh even harder. And harder, and harder. And Ruri just got madder and madder, until she finally couldn't remember why she was mad.

They both started laughing. Neither of them knew it was supposed to be that funny, but it just was. They both just laughed and laughed and laughed, enjoying the moment for what it was.

Ruri never figured out what pun she accidentally made. It was a secret Yuto would carry to his grave.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Someone in the comments suggested that Yuto should have used Odd-Eyes Raging during the duel. That was a fantastic idea, but one that I ultimately couldn't incorporate because a) I already wrote up the entire duel before I started writing the chapters, b) Yuto didn't have the cards or opportunity to do this, and c) it would have kept Sawatari from winning. But the idea was super fantastic, and I wish I had thought of it. I would have totally tried to work it in.**_

 _ **I feel really bad about making Dennis lose yet again. He's a great duelist with a great deck, but he's always losing out. Maybe I'll write a bonus chapter and give him a win, if a lot of people want that.**_

 _ **Fun fact about Sawatari using Mirror Force: I based this off one of Crow's duels in 5D's. In episode 85, Crow sets this on the field during his duel with Leo/Lyndon. (I like to imagine that ARC-V's Crow also has this card.) I also wanted to bring in an Abyss Actor Synchro monster for this duel, but I couldn't think of a good way to make it shine, when the Trapeze Magicians were the major focus of the duel.**_

 _ **Next time: Shun invites himself on Yuto and Ruri's dates. A falcon keeps a look-out for sins in Rank 12: The Final Falcon.**_


	28. Rank 12: The Final Falcon

_**A/N: The last few chapters were pretty long, and they were a lot less comedic. So how about a simple fluff piece?**_

 _ **Fun Fact: Yuri is terrible at typing. He types on a keyboard with one finger at a time.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: Yuto and Ruri's dates are continually interrupted by Shun.**_

* * *

 **Heartland City**

Their time in the Xyz Dimension was almost up. In a few days, the Yu boys and bracelet girls would return home. Yuto and Ruri had no intention of wasting their time here.

The duo stood in line in front of an ice cream truck. While the rest of the line was in a single file, Yuto and Ruri held hands and stuck to each other's side. It was sweet enough that some of the people in line left, because they were already getting diabetes.

They soon reached the front of the line. Yuto payed for their cones: a chocolate-vanilla swirl for him, and strawberry-vanilla for Ruri. And with their ice cream, the two of them would leave to sit on a nearby bench.

The two sat together, Ruri leaning on Yuto's shoulder. They looked out at the truck across from them, watching as excited children swarmed on the ice cream woman like a pack of ravenous wolves. For them, it was a nostalgic vision of what Heartland was like in the past.

"I missed hanging out like this," Ruri said to her boyfriend.

"Now we can get back to our dates," Yuto said. "Even if we leave Heartland, we can still enjoy ice cream together..."

"Go to the movies..."

"Buy some books..."

"Make out behind a-"

"Please, Ruri."

Yuto turned to look down at Ruri. But to his surprise, she wasn't egao-ing. Ruri had stopped eating, and seemed to be sweating bullets.

"Yuto..." she whispered. "I feel like we're being watched."

Yuto frowned. "Where? Do you think it's Academia?"

"No, it's-"

It was Shun, and Yuto knew it. Because he just spotted the boy, standing on top of the ice cream truck and staring down at them.

Shun jumped off the roof, rising several feet before landing on his feet about a foot away. The second he landed on the ground, he ran straight towards the duo.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Shun asked. "I figured I wouldn't be, since I know you two aren't going out on a _date_ , or anything."

"O-of course not!" Ruri said, chuckling nervously.

"We were wondering where you were," Yuto lied. "It's good so see you?"

"Then you won't mind me joining you two, would you?"

"Not at all, Shun..." Yuto lied again.

Shun egao'd. "Good. I have nothing planned; we can spend the entire day together!"

Shun muscled himself right between Yuto and Ruri. He put his hands on both of their shoulders and brought them closer to him.

-ddd

Heartland Academy, Diamond Branch

Yesterday was a wash, but that didn't mean they couldn't try to enjoy the next day together. The duo had met up at the steps leading to Heartland Academy's Diamond Branch. The school itself was rubble, but the steps were always geat for hanging out with your friends.

Yuto took a seat near the top steps. Ruri stood a few steps below him, choosing to lean on a railing instead.

"So, I met Takashi Todoroki today," Yuto said to her.

"Really?" Ruri said. "How's he doing?"

"Not so good. He lost his hair antenna in the war.

"Oh, no. Is he alright?"

"He's surviving, I think. But you just know how hard it's going to be to get over something like that."

"Yeah, it's almost as hard as being kidnapped," Ruri said sarcastically.

"Wait."

"What?"

Yuto turned around and slowly crawled up a few steps. His head peeked over the top of the staircase, and his eyes darted around the rubble. And for a few moments, he sat in silence as he investigated the area.

Ruri stayed quiet for a bit. She just watched Yuto's body and waited for him to say something. If she hadn't been enjoying the view, she would have been more tense with the sudden quietness.

Yuto finally spoke, "Shun's coming."

Ruri snapped back to attention. "Wait, what?"

"I heard his shoes walking. He's close."

"Are you sure?"

"Do you want to take the chance?"

"No," Ruri said immediately. "Oh God, we gotta run."

* * *

 **The Graveyard**

It was a strange place to meet up; among the graves of their fallen townsfolk. But it was a place of peace and solitude. Where Yuto and Ruri could spend time together.

Yuto and Ruri stood before two familiar grave markers. Today, Yuto brought Ruri to visit two special people in his life.

"Hi, Mrs. and Mr. Tsukumo," Ruri said to the graves. "Do you remember me?"

"You know, my parents really liked you," Yuto told her.

"Really? And your sister?"

"She liked you, too."

"And your grandma?"

"... My parents really liked you."

Yuto took Ruri's hands into his. The two turned to face each other, taking in the other's comforting presence.

"My family liked you, for the most part," Yuto told her. "Why wouldn't they? You're sweet, thoughtful, kind, have a great sense of humor. They liked having you around."

"Yuto," Ruri said softly. "I... wait."

Ruri turned her head to look beyond Yuto. After a moment of watching something, her eyes started to bulge.

Curious, Yuto turned around to try and see what she had seen. And to his horror, he could see something on the horizon: flying through the sky on the back of a bird-like monster was Shun. He was heading right for them.

"How did he find us?!" Ruri gasped.

"I don't know," Yuto said. "Quick, we need to run! Before notices and talks to us!"

* * *

 **The Circus Tent**

Plan C: If they wanted to be alone, they would be alone in a crowd of people.

The two decided to continue their date at Dennis Macfield's circus tent. Classes were cancelled for the day; instead, Dennis, Yusho and their students would be performing Entertainment Duels for people of Heartland.

Yuto and Ruri were able to get middle-row seats, giving them a good view of the field. They had just enjoyed a duel between two students, which ended in a re-enactment of the 1999 foreign film, _Eyes of the Werewolf_. Now, they had a minute of peace before the next duel.

"Sorry we couldn't find a good place to be alone," Ruri said.

"It's fine," Yuto replied. "We're still spending time together, and no one's getting in the way. I think that's good enough, right?"

Ruri nodded. "At the risk of jinxing ourselves, I think we're in the clear now."

After a moment, Yusho walked onto the field, using his cane to help him. He waved to the crowd to grab their attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" the man announced. "Are you ready for the next act?"

The audience burst into applause. Ruri threw her hands in the air and let out an excited scream.

Yusho threw his walking stick into the air. A long blue cloth poured from the bottom of the staff, which fell on Yusho and covered him. The staff fell back down and landed on the cloth. Surprisingly, the entire cloth fell to the ground without resistance, like there was nothing underneath.

The cloth startd to rise up. It took the shape of a much shorter, smaller human's body. And once that person stood up, the cloth fell down to reveal a young boy.

"Are you ready?" the boy called out. "It's time to duel!"

The audience cheered wildly. The boy egao'd and bowed to the crowd. He activated his Duel Disk and pulled out five cards from his Deck.

"I summon Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius!"

The boy placed his card on the blade. Materializing on the field was a large, metallic bird, which let out a piercing cry upon being summoned.

"When this card is summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or Lower Raidraptor from my hand! I summon another Vanishing Lanius!"

The boy threw another card down on his blade. This time, materializing on the field was a man in a bird-like costume. Standing there with arms crossed was Shun Kurosaki.

Yuto and Ruri made their own disappearing act.

* * *

 **Heartland Tower**

They had only barely managed to run out of the circus without being seen. And they continued to run throughout the city, until they finally reached Heartland Tower.

They were left panting, pressing their backs against Sayaka's room door. Ruri's hair, having fallen over her face, had become sweaty and frayed. Yuto's hair, however, remained immaculate.

"How did he find us?!" Ruri whined.

"I... I don't know...!" Yuto panted. "Does... Does he have a tracker on us?"

"I don't think so," Ruri replied. "Wait. Unless he's using Reiji to track us?"

Yuto let out a long, annoyed groan.

The duo pulled themselves away from the door. Ruri pulled a key from her skirt pocket, then slid it into the lock above the doorknob.

"We can't escape him, can we?" Ruri said sadly.

"Look, he's probably still chasing us, or at the school," Yuto offered. "Even if he's tracked us, We have at least a few minutes before he could even reach us."

"We can enjoy _a little bit_ of time, then."

"It's better than nothing."

Ruri turned the key in the lock. After hearing the soft click of the lock, she turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.

To their absolute horror, Shun was staring back at them. His face seemed neutral, but his eyes burned with a fire that threatened to consume the entire world.

"Hello, guys," he said to them. His was of speaking was disturbingly calm, despite the clear fury in his eyes.

"H-hey, Shun," Ruri said nervously. "How'd you get in?"

Yuto didn't say anything. He was too busy picking his jaw up from the floor.

"I've been looking for you," Shun told them. "Let's hang out, just the three of us."

"O... okay. That would be... nice..."

Shun egao'd. "Don't worry, guys. I'll always be there for both of you. I'll _**never**_ leave you two alone again... Ruri, why are you crying?"

"Tears of joy," Ruri lied. "Tears of joy."

* * *

 _ **A/N: And so, Rank draws to a close. And I'll be taking another hiatus to relax and charge my batteries. But I'll be doing a few small bonus chapters during the hiatus. I already have one planned out, but I'm up for suggestions for the others. I'll pick any suggestions that I get inspiration for. If your ideas don't get picked, don't worry; it's probably because I couldn't think of the best ways to bring out the ideas. It doesn't mean that your ideas are bad or anything.**_


	29. BONUS Level 2: A Link to the Past

_**A/N: I'm really surprised to see so many people asking to see the duel between Reiji and Aoi. I was holding it off for a bit since we just came off a bunch of duels, and the plotline wouldn't be coming up in the story for a while. But for you guys, I'm writing a bonus chapter for it. Tbh though, don't get your hopes up; anyone who knows the D/D/D-Trickstar match-up can see that it's ridiculously one-sided.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: Yuri is terrible at typing. He types on a keyboard with one finger at a time.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: We take a look back at Reiji's duel with the mysterious Links user.**_

* * *

Reiji and the woman stared at each other. The woman's eyes were full of determination, while Reiji's remained cold and observant.

Surrounding them were many LDS agents, forming a perimeter around them. They were there to ensure that the woman would not escape before Reiji was done with her.

"Before we begin, I'd like to know your name," Reiji said to the woman.

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Why would that matter?"

"Contrary to popular belief, I'm not a monster. I'm here to do what I can to create peace between both of our worlds. We can open up discussions and learn from each other."

The woman didn't answer him. Instead, she drew five cards from her Deck and formed a hand with them.

Reiji decided to do the same. He silently drew cards and made a hand.

"I activate Trickstar Lightstage," the woman said to him.

The ground started to light up, and the image of a rising stage lifted both of them up. Large flatscreen monitors floated around them, hiding some of the guards that surrounded the field. Hologram sparkles, hearts and flowers rained down from the sky.

"When Lightstage is activated, I can add 1 Trickstar monster from my Deck to my hand," the woman explained. "I add Trickstar Lilybell to my hand."

The woman placed the card on the blade, and the image of an angelic girl appeared on the field. She held out a large, baton-like bell, which she pointed at her enemy. **(DEF 2000)**

"I'm Reiji Akaba," Reiji said. "Even if you won't tell my your name, I have no qualms telling you mine."

The woman furrowed her brow. In truth, that was partially what Reiji wanted out of this; to look like the one who wanted peace and civility. The more the woman resisted, the more she would seem like the aggressive party.

He was going to get under her skin by being a good, polite person. She would either break down and eventually relent, or would continue to show that she's unwilling to communicate. Either way, Reiji would have a better grasp of her character. And he already knew how to exploit either outcome.

"I Normal Summon Trickstar Candina!" the woman continued.

Another monster was summoned onto the field, right next to Lilybell. This time, it was an older-looking girl in a yellow outfit. **(ATK 1800)**

"When this card is Normal Summoned, I can add Trickstar Lycorissica from my Deck to my hand."

"I noticed that this play is very similar to your old one," Reiji commented. "Is this a key strategy for your archetype?"

"What pointless questions," the woman replied. "Stop asking them, and start taking damage."

"Why are they pointless?" Reiji asked. "Humans are social creatures; we want to reach out to each other."

"We're not friends," answered the woman. "I'm here to acts as a warning. We don't want anything to do with you."

Reiji remained steadfast. He simply fixed his glasses on his face and kept watch of the woman, studying her field and movements. He was starting to get an idea of what was going on with her, and he suspected that he struck a nerve when he was able to recognize her strategy.

"I activate the effect of the Trickstar Lycorissica in my hand," the woman announced. "I can reveal it, and then target a Trickstar monster I control; Lycorissica is Special Summoned, and the target monster is returned to my hand."

"Do you, by any chance, have two Lycorissica cards in your hand?"

The woman took a step back, right into the front of one of the bodyguards. She quickly jumped forward to get herself away from the man behind her.

"I see," Reiji concluded. "It was just a guess; I figured you would take full advantage of your cards, so you could summon as many monsters as you could for your strategies."

The woman scoffed. "You talk a lot. I think I'm going to enjoy kicking your ass here."

Twin monsters were summoned on either side of Trickstar Candina. **(DEF 1200)** Candina then took off into the air with her wings, up high in the air, until her body vanished from sight.

"Any stupid comments about _this_?" the woman asked.

"No," Reiji replied. "I see no problem or area of concern."

The woman smiled. "At least you're a lot less pushy than my first enemy."

Reiji nodded politely. But inside, he was egao-ing. It was a small moment between him and her, but he was able to see another side to the woman. It wasn't even a calcculated effort by him, she just came to expect a reaction from him.

Were they bonding? Reiji wondered that. The duel, so far, had not been as exciting as his last duel with Yuya. But he could feel himself understanding his opponent more.

"I'd love to see your Link Summon, if you'd be willing," Reiji said to her. "I would appreciate seeing you throw all your strength against me."

The woman shook her head. "That was already the plan. So get ready, kid. I link one of my Trickstar Lycorissica with Trickstar Lilybell!"

The two monsters were engulfed in blue light. Their bodies ripped apart into pixels, then joined together in a large, spherical mass.

"Link Summon! Link 2, Trickstar Holly Angel!"

Now the sphere broke away, revealing the mesh skeleton of monster. The details and color of its body started to fill in, taking the form of an angelic woman in blue. A blue ring floated around its waist, and arrows jutted out from nine different directions. Two of the back arrows were lit up in pink, with one pointing directly to Trickstar Lycorissica. **(ATK 2000)**

"Your monster's interesting," Reiji said to her. "It's lacking in ATK now, but your strategy links together in order to make it more formidable."

"So you definitely watched my last duel?"

The woman scoffed. "I bet you changed your deck to counter mine."

"I believe in fair play," Reiji responded. "I didn't change my deck at all to challenge you. I intend to beat you with my own cards and skill, nothing more."

"Really? If that's true, then you have my interest. I set a card face-down, and end my turn."

The woman ended her field with Trickstar Holly Angel in her Extra Monster Zone, and a Trickstar Lycorissica connected to it in her Main Monster Zone. She had the Trickstar Lightstage Field Spell activated, and had one face-down Spell. She had one face-down card in her Spell and Trap Zone, and one card remaining in her hand. Her Life Points were untouched, at 4000.

* * *

Reiji drew a card, and already did he start to feel the burn of the mystery woman's strategy. He could feel the burning sensation of Lycorissica's effect damage against him. And then, immediately afterward, Lightstage's effect hit him just as hard. **(Reiji: 4000 → 3800 → 3600)**

"When you take damage from Trickstar monster's effect, Trickstar Holly Angel gains ATK equal to that damage." **(Holly Angel ATK 2000 → 2200)**

"That's only a little bit of damage," Reiji said.

"A little bit adds up over time," the woman answered. "Now I activate the Trap Card, Trickstar Revival!"

The face-down card rose up, revealing its body to the world. The art depicted Trickstar Holly Angel, reaching into a bed of spider lillies to grab hold of a human hand.

"I can Special Summon a Trickstar monster from my Graveyard, and summon it at a Link Monster's Link Point."

Holly Angel turned around and grabbed at the ground. A white gloved hand reached from the ground, and Holly Angel pulled it up. Trickstar Lilybell rose from the ground and took her place behind Holly Angel. **(DEF 2000)**

"Since a Trickstar Monster was summoned at Holly Angel's Link Point, 200 damage is inflicted to my opponent. Trickstar Lightstage also inflicts 200 damage."

Reiji could feel the burn. He kept his composure, only letting out a small grunt of pain. He had to admit, though, that the duel was more painful than the footage made it seem. **(Reiji: 3600 → 3400 → 3200)**

"And because a Trickstar monster's effect inflicted damage to you, Holly Angel gains ATK equal to that damage." **(Holly Angel ATK 2200 → 2400)**

"Not bad," Reiji mused. "I haven't even made my move, and you've already started whittling my Life Points down."

"Are you scared? A lot of people start to feel the heat by now."

"No. Because I'm not going to take any more damage for the rest of the duel."

The woman's mouth slacked a bit, and her shoulders tensed up. But she quickly regained her composure and took a more relaxed, neutral stance.

"Do you know the rules of the field?" she asked. "If you think your old strategies will work, guess again."

"I believe I can only Special Summon one monster from my Extra Deck," Reiji said. "So I better make my monster count. I use D/D Swirl Slime's effect..."

Reiji revealed two monsters in his hand: D/D Slime Swirl Slime, and D/D Ghost. He placed the cards above his Graveyard and let them fall inside.

"I can Fusion Summon one D/D/D monster, using D/D Swirl Slime and another monster from my hand."

A swirling vortex or blue and orange formed above Reiji. The spirits of his two monsters rose from the ground and were drawn inside. Their bodies melded together, forming a dark mixture of their bodies.

"Cat of an unknown existence, become one with the primordial slime. Fusion Summon!"

The melded being took the form of a winged, female humanoid. It took off from the portal and flew on its dark wings.

"Come forth, ruler who carries the glory of God! D/D/D Oracle King - d'Arc!"

The monster landed on the field beside Holly Angel, then held its thin sword up to the enemy monster's neck. **(ATK 2800)**

"I activate the Continuous Spell, Dark Contract with the Gate. During my Main Phase, I can add one D/D monster to my hand."

A card near the bottom of Reiji's Deck was ejected out. Reiji pulled the card out and revealed it to his enemy: D/D Savant Galilei.

"You added a card to your hand. Because of that, Trickstar Lycorissica's effect makes you take 200 damage!" the woman declared. "And because of that, the effects of Trickstar Lightstage and Holly Angel both activate."

A pale golden glow illuminated his body, offering a calming presence to the young man. Reiji remained calm, letting himself be filled with peace.

 **(Reiji: 3200 → 3400)**

"D/D/D Oracle King d'Arc prevents me from taking any effect damage," Reiji explained to her. "And any effect damage I would take is instead added to my Life Points."

The woman's jaw hung loose. Her hands fell uselessly to her sides. And it took everything in her power not to give into her buckling knees.

"... FFFFFF-"

Reiji egao'd. "You don't sound too happy."

"Yeah, laugh it up, smile boy," the woman grumbled. "I'm not going to go down easy."

Okay, _that_ made Reiji chuckle. It was a surprise even to himself.

"Let's both do our best," Reiji said to her. "Miss...?"

"... Zaizen," she said hestitantly. "Aoi Zaizen."

Reiji nodded. "It's an honor dueling with you so far."

Reiji lifted two cards from his hand, then revealed them to his opponent. "With my Scale 1 D/D Savant Galilei, and my Scale 10 D/D Savant Newton, I set the Pendulum Scales."

"The Devil's tool," Aoi growled.

The blue pillars of light rose on either side of Reiji, carrying the monsters high above him. A large pendulum appeared in the sky and started to sway in circles.

"Grand power that shakes my very soul!" chanted Reiji. "Arise within me and become a new light that rends the darkness. Pendulum Summon! Come before me, my monsters!"

Two lights fell to the earth, right behind Oracle King d'Arc. The dragon monster rose up and let their black wings spread. **(ATK 2600)** The other monster floated just a foot off of the ground, letting its crystalline body reflect a brilliant light into Reiji's side of the field. **(ATK 3000)**

"D/D/D Dragon King Pendragon, and D/D/D Doom King Armageddon have been Pendulum Summoned from my hand. And since I was able to summon both of them to the regular Monster Zones, I think I'm beginning to piece together how your field works."

Although she wasn't so sure about her mission here, Aoi was always confident about her dueling skills, and having an advantage over her enemies. The field she used would be able to confuse and hinder her enemies, while she was aided by it. And she would have knocked her opponents out by this time, anyway.

Now, she had to finally face her mortality. For the first time since she began her training as a vanguard, she had to deal with the likelihood of losing it all. It was always a _possibility_ , but now it was a real chance.

She just wanted to go home.

"... Do your worst," she said to him. "I'm not scared of your little monsters."

"Battle Phase!" Reiji announced. "D/D/D Doom King Armageddon attack Trickstar Holly Angel."

A glowing orb appeared from within Doom King's clear body. The light within it grew larger and larger, until its body could barely contain it. A concentrated beam of light shot across the field, piercing Trickstar Holly Angel's chest. Holly Angel let out a small cry of pain before being destroyed. **(Aoi: 4000 → 3600)**

"D/D/D Oracle King d'Arc attacks Trickstar Lyrorissica," Reiji went on. "And D/D/D Dragon King Pendragon attacks Trickstar Lilybell."

Aoi kept her eyes open. She watched as her opponent's monsters literally _tore_ through her own. The horror seen on her monsters' faces mirrored her own feelings. But she couldn't look away; she needed to put on a brave face, and now show weakness to the enemy.

"You don't have any more cards," Aoi said to the boy. "Can you end your turn now? I want to get this over with soon."

Reiji nodded. "Right. I'll let you get to your turn now, Miss Zaizen."

Reiji ended his turn with 3400 Life Points, and no cards in his hand. His field consisted of his three D/D/D monsters and his Pendulum Scales. His D/D/D Oracle King d'Arc occupied his Extra Monster Zone.

* * *

Aoi stared at her nearly-empty field, almost hesitant to even draw a card. Now, more than ever did, she felt like a flop on her own stage. If her next draw was a dud, she would be in a pinch.

She drew a card. And to her disappointment, it was Trickstar Reincarnation. AKA a card that would not only fail to help her get out of this jam, but would just give Reiji more Life Points.

Still, it could be used to revive Holly Angel. She'd be able to boost her defenses. Or maybe she could hold off on reviving it until her next turn, and use it for a bigger strategy. She had a few options to choose from here; she just needed to make sure she would choose the right one.

 _Stay strong,_ she told herself. _No matter what, we'll get through this somehow._

Quietly, she uttered the words, "I summon Trickstar Candina to the field."

Her blonde monster was summoned to the field. It fluttered down from the sky and took its place right before her master. (ATK 1800)

"When this card is Summoned, I can add another Trickstar card to my hand."

A card was ejected from the top of the woman's Deck. She slowly pulled it out and presented it to Reiji.

"When this card is added to my hand, I can Special Summon it."

Lilybell materialized on the field. She hovered to the right of Trickstar Candina, and held her large bell in her hands. **(DEF 2000)** Judging by the egao on her face, she seemed unaware of the uncertainty Aoi had for this fight.

"I set a card, then end my turn."

Aoi placed a card on her Disk's blade. A face-down card appeared directly behind Candina.

And that was it. Aoi's turn ended there, much to her own sadness. The best she could do was to create a wall and stave off as much damage as she could, in the hopes of surviving another turn.

Aoi his her face in her hands. She couldn't bare to have anyone see her if she cried.

* * *

While Aoi was facing down her own defeat, Reiji kept calm and collected. He simply drew a card from his deck and added it to his hand.

"During my Standby Phase, Galilei's Scale increases by 2, and Dark Contract with the Gate inflicts 1000 damage to me," he said casually. "Of course, Oracle King d'Arc converts this damage into Life Points."

The golden glow returned once more. Reiji could feel himself invigorating by its cleansing light. **(Reiji: 3400 → 4400) (D/D Savant Galilei: Scale 1 Scale → Scale 3)**

Aoi let out a small gasp. _He's stronger than when he started. It's like I never did anything to him!_

"I want peace between us," he said to her. "I'm willing to call this duel a DRAW, if you agree to come with me without a fight. I feel like that would be more polite than attacking you now."

"... If you really want peace, then why did you trap me?" the woman asked.

"If you wanted our worlds to be left alone, then why did you attack one of my men?" Reiji countered.

Aoi huffed. "I-I'm not going to give up. Go ahead and attack, if you dare."

Reiji observed the field. His eyes squared down right at the card. Walking into a trap wouldn't hurt him too much; he could Pendulum Summon a monster next turn. And with Aoi down to next to nothing, it would be nearly impossible for her to mount a counter strong enough to defeat him.

"Pendulum Summon!" Reiji declared. "From my hand, I summon D/D Proud Ogre!"

Another light fell from the pendulum. This time, it became a monster covered in black-and-red armor, with large, demonic horns on its head.

Aoi's hand fell from her face. Reiji's hand was empty now. It was too late; she couldn't activate Trickstar Reincarnation now. **(ATK 2300)**

And all that was left was to watch Reiji destroy her monsters and defeat her.

 **(Aoi: 3600 → 2600 → 0)**

* * *

Aoi's head hung low, and her hair fell over the sides of her face. She stared at her own two feet. She struggled. Struggled to recover.

It was over. She lost. And that meant she lost her freedom. And she likely lost any chance of seeing her brother or friends again. Who knew if her people would even come for a loser like her?

She looked up to the sky and took a deep, long breath. Now, she wasn't going to cry. She was a Charisma Duelist, after all; composure and charisma were always important. She couldn't let her emotions get to her, in front of everyone. She had to keep the show going.

"You got me, Reiji," she said quietly. "You can take me away now."

Two guards put their hands on her shoulder. She could feel them as they pulled her arms behind her back, then slap on some heavy handcuffs. Her Duel Disk was pulled from her arm, much to her displeasure.

Reiji approached her, calm as ever. Aoi could admit that his demeanor was intimidating, although she didn't fear him. She saw him as dangerous, but not as a threat to her.

"You'll be joining us at the Leo Corporation," he told the girl. "As long as you behave and don't cause us trouble, you will have the finest living arrangements I can manage, I promise you."

"You still won't get any secrets out of me," Aoi sadly chuckled. "I'm a loser, but I'm still loyal."

"We'll get what we need from you, even if you refuse to talk," Reiji informed her. "But don't you want peace?"

"I want peace. I'll talk to you about that. But if you think I'll let you steal our Link Summon away from us, you're going to be empty-handed."

Reiji shook his head. "First things first; let's bring you to your temporary home, so you can rest. After, we'll start talking."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Trickstar Revival is basically a Trickstar-exclusive Call of the Haunted, except it isn't a Continuous Trap, and it involves Links. I could have easily just used CoTH and absolutely nothing would have changed here, but I thought I'd make an original card to supplement the current lack of Trickstar Cards.**_

 _ **HunterHQ asks,**_ _"Also how did you find Vrains? Are the new bad guys the Knights of Hanoi?"_

 _ **I'm liking it so far. It's pretty atmospheric, and the aesthetic is very nice. I didn't appreciate the lack of duels, and I'm still not sold on Yusaku yet. But it has a lot of promise. I doubt it'll replace ARC-V as my favorite series, but I think it could still be a really good show.**_ _ **What about you? You liking it so far?**_

 _ **In my fic, the Knights of Hanoi will have a surprising role. How they fit in might change as we learn more from VRAINS, but I already have a set plan for their role in the endgame. As for them being the new bad guys, it's a secret.**_


	30. BONUS Level 3: To Ninja with Love

_**Fun Fact: Sawatari used to have a crush on Serena. He appreciated her noble intentions and thought it contrasted well with her beauty. However, he didn't like how reckless and headstrong she could be.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: Hikage delivers a meal to Yoko Sakaki.**_

* * *

Ninjas often had work as bodyguards, or as assassins, or as gimmicks for dueling tournaments. Even in this day and age, the world still had need for strong people with good stealth skills, or people in strange costumes. This was what kept the Fuma Duel School thriving for centuries.

Tsukikage made use of his skills in many ways. He was a Lancer, serving as Reiji Akaba's right-hand man. He was a bodyguard to Reira Akaba, doing his best to keep her safe throughout their journey together. He was an expert in escape and espionage, as well as moving around quickly.

Outside of deadly work though, he had another job. He acted as a deliveryman for Gyaku-Gire Panda Express. (Because even restaurateurs were in on the Duel Monsters gimmick.) Though the branch's owner was hesitant to hire someone who wasn't also Chinese, he had no regrets once he saw how quickly Tsukikage made his deliveries.

Hikage didn't work at the job. He found such work undignified for a ninja. But he had nothing to do that day, so when his brother asked him to make a delivery, he accepted the task.

Hikage met his brother a block away from Gyaku-Gire Panda Express. Tsukikage approached his older brother while carrying three bags: two paper, and one plastic. He tucked the two paper bags under one arm and offered the plastic one to his brother.

"Thank you for this, brother," Tsukikage said to him. "With your delivery done, I can take my break earlier."

Hikage accepted the plastic bag. He tucked it under one of his arms.

"While you deliver that meal, I will be making my own delivery," Tsukikage explained. "She is a very special customer, so I would like to present them her food personally."

"I do not understand the appeal of this job," Hikage confessed. "But for you, brother, I will do my best and ensure that the job is done well."

"Thank you, brother."

"Not a problem, brother," Hikage responded. "To whom am I delivering this?"

"You know where the Sakaki reside? It is for Master Sakaki's mother, Yoko Sakaki."

"Excellent, brother. I will get to it."

"Thank you, brother."

"No problem, brother."

* * *

Hikage observed the Sakaki home from across the street. Staring at the house, he couldn't feel anything but boredom for his mission.

Ninjas were trained to act without feeling. At Fuma, you were told to accept missions as they are. To think of nothing but your job, and how to accomplish it. Your feelings on the matter weren't important; once you signed up for a job, you were a tool to be used.

Tsukikage didn't accept that, but Hikage did. He never turned down a mission, and he had a higher success rate than his brother. But those missions at least had some risk to them, an element of danger. This didn't.

But it _could_.

After a few minutes of work, Hikage was able to survey the perimeter of the house. He discovered that the kitchen window was wide open, and Yoko Sakaki was in the living room. And in less than another minute, Hikage was able to devise a plan.

The first step was to ring the doorbell. He approached the door and pressed his finger against the bell button. Listening in, he could hear the sound of air chimes filled the house. Along with dozens upon dozens of barking dogs.

He could hear Yoko say something to the dogs, hushing up only a few of them. She made her way to the door and opened it ever so slightly, so as not to let the dogs escape.

But when she opened the door, she found no one. Because Hikage was already on the other side of the house, sneaking through her window.

The second step of his plan was to get inside the house and place the food on the table before Yoko would turn around and catch him. It was an incredible, close-cut stealth mission. Although the dangers weren't that serious (he figured he could just apologize and explain things to her if he was caught), it was still vastly more thrilling than simply knocking on the door.

He entered the kitchen silently, carrying the plastic bag in one hand. He darted over to the table and placed the bag on the table.

Hikage pondered if he had enough time to open up the bag and set up the meal. Was it too much of a risk? Probably. But it would have been a much more satisfying challenge for his skills. But at the same time, Yoko could walk in at any time and say-

 _"INTRUDER!"_

Hikage nearly dropped the food in his hands. He turned towards the source of the voice, saying, "No, it's-"

He was nearly met with a flying kick to the face. He was barely able to sidestep the attack, leaning his body against the kitchen table to avoid being hit.

Yoko landed on her feet. She quickly turned around and went at Hikage with a fist. Hikage jumped back from the attack, then threw his body backwards. His hands caught the ground, and he backflipped away from Yoko.

"Mi-Miss Yoko!" he pleaded. "This is all a misundersta-"

In the middle of a blackflip, Hikage could see something coming at his head. A phone? An ashtray? A shoe? Whatever it was, it looked heavy and painful.

Hikage managed to halt his backflip while he was on his feet. He threw his body to the side and let the object smash against the wall. He took a step back, but kept his eyes on Yoko. He could feel his back press against the refrigerator. No backing out now; he could only go left, right, up, or down.

Yoko grabbed one of the chairs stationed around the table, surprisingly without struggle. She held it over her head and threw it right at Hikage.

"Get out of my house, you freak!" she screamed.

Hikage threw himself to the floor. He could hear the impact the wood chair had against the fridge. It was worrying, and the idea of escape became more pertinent.

He attempted to stand up, only to find something pulling him down. He turned around to see that six small dogs had climbed onto his back. A fat, odd-eyed cat was biting down on his pantleg, trying to keep him from escaping.

Barking. Meowing. Chirping. Hissing. More and more animals started coming into view. They climbed on top of Hikage and engulfed him in a huge pile of pets.

All he could remember after that was darkness...

* * *

Hikage woke up to a heavy feeling on his chest. It was like something pressing him down. His back felt uncomfortable and stiff as it pressed against something.

He attempted to brush the heaviness off. But to his surprise, he couldn't move his hand. It was also held down.

"Wh-what...?"

Hikage opened his eyes. He was outside, across the street from the Sakaki home. Looking down, he could see duct tape. Someone taped his body down on a surface.

"Miss Y-Yoko...!" he stammered.

He looked up to see the wires above. He was taped to what appeared to be a utility pole. And it was at this point that he realized the biggest, most fatal flaw in his plan: by sneaking around and avoiding Yoko, he couldn't collect the cash from the customer.

"... I deserve this," he sighed.

* * *

Tsukikage's customer lived in an old, shabby house. The paint on the facade was peeling away, and the door had a small crack in its center. But the windows on the front of the house seemed to be clean and fresh, as if they were recently put in. It clashed with the rest of the house's look.

The door was unlocked, Tsukikage knew that. Still, he chose to take the polite route and knock on the door. He would wait patiently for his special customer to open up the door and greet him.

And after a moment, she did. It was a small, kindly-looking old lady. Her face and hands were wrinkly and ancient, but her egao was bright enough to bring out her youthful spirit.

"Oh, Tsukikage!" the woman exclaimed.

"Two bags of food, as you requested."

The woman looked down at the bags before her. After a small pause, she rose her heavy head and have the ninja boy an egao.

"I think I ordered too much," she told him. "Maybe you'd like to share some with me."

Tsukikage looked down at one of the bags. "I _did_ notice that you happened to have ordered my favorite meal. And my break starts soon."

"Let me just go get the money from my-"

Tsukikage shook his head. "Today, your meal is complimentary."

The woman took a step back from the door. "Why?"

"You're the 500th customer of the day."

"Funny," the woman chuckled. "Wasn't I the 500th customer last week?"

Tsukikage nodded. "You seem to be very lucky, ma'am."

"I'm lucky, yes," she replied. "I always seem to get the best delivery man."

The woman turned around and made her way towards the living room. Tsukikage dashed forward at lightning speed, putting the food on her coffee table before appearing by her side. He placed his hand under her arm and helped the woman to her seat.

"You're so much nicer than the other boy," the woman said weakly. "Jerry? Urine?"

"I won't let anyone trouble you again, ma'am," Tsukikage told her. "Now, please enjoy the meal. I'll be here, so don't worry yourself over this boy."

Tsukikage fell into his own chair, close to the woman's side. And the two of them would go on to enjoy their quiet lunch together.

* * *

 _ **A/N: An anonymous guest suggested that I make a thread bout Tsukikage and his family owning a ninja themed restaurant. I really liked the idea, so I tweaked it to fit the story.**_


	31. BONUS Level 4: You Go, Core!

_**A/N: I had another idea for a bonus chapter, where Yoko, Rin, Yugo, Jack, Crow, and Shinji get into a multi-dimensional race. I couldn't get enough inspiration to write it now, but I'd love to write it in the future.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: Yuto really wants to discover a skunk ape.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: Yugo notices Core has gotten fat.**_

* * *

Yugo burst through out of his room, slid down the fire pole to the first floor, and ran straight to his mother.

"Himomgoingoutgottagoloveyou," he said to her.

Yoko, who was sitting at the kitchen table and drinking coffee, just gave the boy a confused egao. "Hi, Yugo...?"

Yugo threw his arms around her and gave her a tight, big hug. Yoko lifted up an arm and brought her son in closer.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Rin, Gongenzaka and I are going to the movies," Yugo told her. "We're gonna see _Beauty and the Beast, But the Beast is a Duel Monster Now._ "

"The remake, right? I thought I would have raised a child with enough sense to know remakes are shit, but to each his own."

"...What?"

"I asked if you could take Core outside before you go out. He needs some exercise."

Yugo looked into the living room. The couches all had at least seven animals resting on them. The carpet was sat on by five different dogs. Six cats were sitting in the cat tree. Twelve different kinds of birds were flying around the ceiling.

"Which one's Core?" Yugo asked.

"The fat one," Yoko replied.

Yoko pointed towards a large, furry, white lump by the door. It was almost the size of a full trash bag. And Yugo's surprise, it yawned and stretched out its body, revealing itself to be a cat.

"What the hell?!"

"Core's put on a bit of weight," Yoko explained. "He's been depressed ever since Mr. Trinity, Jr. died. Poor thing, they were best friends... So he stuffs himself with food."

"This cat's probably eaten more in a day than most Commons do in their lifetime. Why don't you stop feeding him?"

Yoko looked down at her coffee sadly. "I'm worried that, if I limit his food, he'll start trying to eat us. Poor thing, I woke up and found him trying to nibble off one of my toes."

Yugo nervously looked back to the huge blob of fat that was their pet. A ticking time bomb that threatened to destroy them all. And at the same time, a poor, depressed creature that was trying to fill a void in his heart.

"The movie doesn't start for a while," Yugo stated. "How about I take him out to get some exercise? It'll help him get back in shape."

"That's a great idea!" Yoko exclaimed. "Just make sure you don't put your fingers too close to his mouth. He'll see that as an invitation to bite."

He walked over to the cat then knelt down and patted its back. The cat let out a long, long yawn and looked up to the boy.

"Ready to go, boy?"

The cat just stared at him.

Yugo put his arms around the cat and attempted to lift him. But to his chagrin, the cat wouldn't budge. He was throwing in all of his weight to lift it up, but the cat was too heavy to move.

"G-H-How..." he gasped, in a strained voice. "H-how do I g-get-"

"Lifting him up is impossible," Yoko told him. "Just open the door; he'll see the grass and go to it."

* * *

Yugo stood on the front lawn, observing the cat. The same cat who was currently nibbling on some of the grass like it was no big deal.

"Core, let's try and hurry this up," said Yugo. "I'm gonna see a movie, and then me and Yuto can hang out."

The cat just looked at him.

"And you can join us!"

The cat just stared at him.

"We're going to go online and see a boob."

Core went back to nibbling on some grass.

Yugo frowned. "Yeah, you probably wouldn't care about a human boob. But we still need to get you exercised."

Yugo put a hand on his chin and looked around the area. He had hoped to find something that would give him an idea on what they could do. He saw the garden hose, two of their dogs... a ninja ties to a pole across the street, for some reason... a plastic ball, En's wooden wagon...

Yugo had an idea! He darted over to the small, red wagon and wheeled it over to the chubby cat.

"Hey, buddy!" he said to Core. "How about we go for a ride around the neighborhood? Get you some fresh air? Inspire you to see the world? Make you feel the need for speed? Eh?"

The cat continued to eat grass. He gave no indication that he was listening, much less that he was even aware of Yugo's presence. He just kept on keeping on.

Yugo knocked the wagon over on its side, then pushed it against the cat. One of the wagon's sides slid under Core; Yugo was using it like a dolly cart to try and lift up the cat.

With a heavy heave, he pulled the side of the wagon up. The wagon let out a horrible groan, and the wood started to bend slightly. But Yugo remained steadfast and kept trying to pull up the wagon.

"J-jeez!" he groaned. "You're almost as heavy as my bike...!"

The wood cracked open. Free of the weight, Yugo fell to to the ground, and the broken wagon crashed beside him.

Yugo rose his head to look at Core. The cat just looked back at him and started to purr softly.

"Y-you liked that, huh?"

The cat purred louder, and Yugo closed his eyes and listened. He could feel the cat's burly body rub up against him, and his head rub against his side. He could feel the cat's paws touch his chest, and the cat's body slowly slide on top of his chest, practically crushing his rib cage.

Yugo opened his eyes and pushed at the cat, in a desperate attempt to push the cat off of him. He gagged and choked for air while his legs kicked around wildly. And while he struggled to keep himself alive, Core just kept purring and licking Yugo's hand.

Yugo could hear a voice in his head. Or rather, a roar. It was the cry of his dragon reaching out to him, offering him advice and service.

Yugo closed his eyes and opened his heart. The dragon's roars pierced through every pore of his body. The pain he felt from Core started to leave his body, and he felt like he was floating on air. And he could understand everything. It was all clear to him now.

 _I understand, my friend,_ Yugo thought.

* * *

 _"Yugo... Yugo... Yugo!"_

Yugo woke up to see an orange sky above. His eyes fell down on the sun setting on the horizon, and the faces of two people staring down at him.

"Wh- huh?" Yugo groaned. "What?"

"Are you okay?" Rin asked him. "How long have you been here? You're missing the movie!"

Yugo struggle to get up. His hands shakily propped him up, and Gongenzaka hoisted him onto his feet.

"Good think Gongenzaka knows CPR," Rin continued.

"I don't know what that is," Yugo replied. "But thanks, Gon."

Gongenzaka nodded. "You were half-dead by the time we found you. What happened?"

"The cat... Wait, where's Core?"

Gongenzaka tilted his head back, then took a step to the side to show Yugo what was behind him. Core was sitting on his back, pawing uselessly at a butterfly above it. It was still happily purring away, enjoying its time in the sun.

"Sweet Budha, that's a _cat_?" Rin asked. "I thought it was like some weird... _possum_ -thing."

Gongenzaka shook his head. "Mrs. Sakaki's possums only come out at night."

"You're joking, right?"

"Yes," Gongenzaka answered, egao-ing. "There's only one possum, Squiggle."

"You're joking."

"Oh!" Yugo exclaimed. "Oh oh oh oh oh! Guys! Guys!"

Rin turned back to Yugo and asked, "What is it?"

"Go inside and cat some cat treats," Yugo told her. "Gongenzaka, ask my mom for some tape or rope. I have an idea!"

"An idea for what? Yugo, you should probably go to the hospital; you could have died."

But Yugo didn't answer. He already took off running, towards the Sakaki family garage.

* * *

Yugo sat atop of his bike in the driveway, waiting for his friends to return. He first looked to Core, napping on the grass. But his attention was soon changed to his two approaching friends.

Rin was carrying a small bag of cat treats in her hands. A small chihuahua (Hills) had bitten onto her boot, and was being dragged along. Gongenzaka was carrying a folded pile of rope in one hand.

"Dear Christ, there actually was a possum in there!" Rin cried out.

"I told you about Squiggles," Gongenzaka said simply. "Yugo, your mom ran out of tape. But your mom had rope and some leather straps. Will they work?"

Yugo nodded. "Yep! Now, tie the bag t the back of my bike."

Both Rin and Gongenzaka looked confused. Nevertheless, they decided to go along with it. Gongenzaka wrapped some rope around the middle of the bag, and Rin tied the bag around the back of the bike.

The three of them stared at their creation: a D-Wheel with a bag of cat treats tied to the end. It was not very impressive.

"And what does this accomplish, exactly?" Rin asked.

"Watch and learn, Rin," Yugo said to her. "CORE! Look over here!"

Yugo pressed his hands on the bag and opened up the top. The smell of fishy cat treats immediately poured out before them. This was followed by the meows of a hungry Core, who immediately started running towards them.

Yugo hopped onto the bike. He turned it on and let it rev up. "It was CLear Wing's idea: I'm going for a drive, and Core will chase after the treats."

Gongenzaka crossed his arms. Both he and Rin looked to each other, and then back to Yugo.

"So, about going to the hospital..." Gongenzaka said.

"No time for that, Core's coming!"

Yugo revved up his bike once more, and he drove down the driveway. Core ran straight after him, knocking Rin over as he passed by.

Rin and Gongenzaka watched as the cat chased after the bike. The cat meowed out loud, while Yugo shouted and cheered him on.

* * *

 _ **Next time: Summer school! Yuya and his friends visit Duel Academia to see old friends. But a certain teacher won't let Yuya go on without a fight.**_


	32. Class 1: Studying Abroad

_**A/N: I'm excited about writing the Class arc. I finally get to deal with a lot of new plots and ideas that will have a big impact on the rest of the story.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: Rin doesn't believe in skunk apes.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: The gang have arrived in the Fusion Dimension. But a stern teacher wants to send them back home.**_

* * *

 _Dear Diary,_

 _Summer vacation's almost here, and I'm really excited! Yuto is working on an entire itinerary for all of summer._

 _Sawatari has his own plans for the summer: he's going to spend summer at Duel Academia. The school is doing a summer school program to help open up the school to the rest of the world, and to attract possible new students._

 _Yuzu, Gongenzaka and I are going to accompany him to the school. We're going to spend the day with him, and say hello to all our friends in the Synchro Dimension. I'm really excited to see Sora again._

 _Not really excited to see Leo again, but maybe I won't have to see him._

* * *

Yuya, Yuzu, Gongenzaka and Sawatari gathered together. They stood before the Maiami Central bus station, waiting for the next bus to take them to Akaba-Sakaki Station. Akaba-Sakaki Station, of course, was a station built to carry people through dimensions via the Dimension Highway.

Unfortunately for the trio and Sawatari, the bus was late. Severely late. According to the station manager's announcement, the bus would be about an hour late, thanks to an incident involving two ninjas, an assassin, and some sort of possum-thing. This left them to wait, and wait, and wait.

Sawatari, whose school shirt was replaced with a red blazer, threw himself onto a bench with his luggage. He let out a lound, exaggerated yawn to show his boredom.

Yuzu looked over to him, "You know, an hour's not that long. We could pass the time by dueling."

"No room at the station," Gongenzaka sighed. "Especially for Action Duels."

"Unless you want to be hit by a bus!" Yuri offered. "Hey, Sour-tari, nice shirt."

Sawatari looked to Yuri and gave him a proud egao. "It was Sora's idea!"

"Eh?"

"He said that red is a color of power, passion, and prestige!" Sawatari explained. "So I'm wearing red to show all the other students my place."

Yuri clasped his hands together. "That is a wonderful idea, and I completely agree with it."

Gongenzaka was less impresse with this. "Sora's pulling a prank on you. The students in red are the lower-ranked students."

Sawatari's jaw dropped. He looked to Yuri nervously, then back to Gongenzaka, then back to Yuri.

"You're messing with me, right?" he asked. "I bought all these red clothes with me!"

"Gongy's a buzzkill, but he's right!" Yuri said cheerfully. "You see, at Duel Academia, students are put into three categories, based on their performance; Slifer Red-ranked students are on the bottom rung. Most new students, and students who do poorly, are sorted here. They require the most training and effort. There's a school tradition where we haze the Reds by pushing them down the stairs."

"I'm not a buzzkill," Gongenzaka interrupted. "I just don't want my friend to be bullied."

"Yeah, whatever. Ra Yellow is the second-highest rank. New students who show exceptional skill can skip being a Red, and can go right to being a Yellow. Obelisk Blue-ranked students are the top rank, and the first to be considered for any missions."

 _Is that all true, Serena?_ Yuzu thought out.

Serena appeared before her and nodded. _Yes. I have to be honest, I pushed a few Reds down the stairs during my time at Academia._

 _I was wondering about everything else, but... I don't know how to end that sentence._

"I was, of course, an Obelisk," Yuri explained to them. "But I transcended the ranking system soon after becoming the Professor's right-hand man."

Sawatari turned to Yuzu. "What about Serena? Was she a Red? She always wore red."

Yuzu nodded. "Yep! They kept her as a Red, since Reds have less privileges, and gave her an excuse for why she couldn't go out on missions."

 _Even though I was able to go toe-to-toe with some Blues!_ Serena said.

"... Even though she was able to go toe-to-toe with some Blues."

"Huh," Sawatari said. "You learn something new every day."

"Tell me about it," Yuri agreed. "This whole time, I thought that girl's name was _Sabrina_."

* * *

Fifty minutes had passed. But the bus did not come. Waiting so long had an effect on them, for the boredom continued to drive them out of their minds.

"Whaaaat's taking so looong?" Sawatari groaned.

He was now laying down on the bench, a suitcase acting as a pillow for his head. He had a book in his hands, and a candy wrapper on his chest.

One of the station's doors swung open. Yuzu stepped out of the doorway and walked herself over to the boys.

"Well, the bus is going to be later than expected," she sighed. "Apparently, the ninjas had to arrest the bus driver, and they're taking the bus over to the Antanolian Embassy."

Sawatari let out a loud, long, frustrated groan.

"Sawatari's going to be really late for class," Yuya said. "Maybe we could hoof it to the A.S. Station?"

Gongenzaka shook his head. "It would take too much time to go on foot."

"I can't be late for my first day!" Sawatari whined. "I'm already wearing red, I can't take any more social outcast-y...ness... traits. Couldn't we just fly there on our Duel Monsters?"

The trio looked at each other, then back to Sawatari. None of them elected to answer Sawatari's question.

But then, Yuya's eyes shifted from red to blue. He eagerly balled his hands into fists and held them up. A large egao grew on his face, and his eyes shimmered. He was looking like an excited child.

"Guys! Guys guys guys!" Yugo said excitedly. "I just had an idea that would fix everything."

"Is that you, Yugo?" Yuzu asked. "What's your idea?"

Yugo held his Duel Disk up, opened up the Extra Deck hatch, and pulled out a card. He held his Clear Wing Synchro Dragon over his head and waved it around.

"Clear Wing can transport us between dimensions. So, ergo, we can thusly teleport to Academia, assumedly."

"Welp, Yugo's a genius!" Sawatari exclaimed. "He even used big words to prove it."

"Thanks!"

"You're welcome!"

"I think hoofing it was a better idea," Gongenzaka answered. "You can't control that card; it could send us straight into the ocean."

"No, that won't happen!" Yugo insisted. "Listen, I can understand Clear Wing now. We talk to each other."

"Really?" Yuzu asked.

"Yeah. Well, it doesn't talk. I could always understand how it felt. But lately, I can understand what it's saying."

"... And Zarc could communicate with Duel Spirits," Yuzu added. "Are you gaining some of Zarc's powers?"

Yugo nodded. "That might be, possimaybe. But whatever the reason, I can communicate a bit with Clear Wing."

"And you're _sure_ we won't crash into the ocean or something?" Gongenzaka asked, skeptical.

"It doesn't matter," Sawatari stated. "Either we get there before we're too late, or we drown and don't have to deal with school."

"That's the spirit!" Yugo shouted. "Clear Wing, take us to the Fusion Dimension!"

The card started to glow white. Green rings flew from the card and circled around all four of the kids. And as the card's light grew, they were absorbed into its brightness.

* * *

A teacher was writing on the chalkboard. He spoke to his class of students, explaining the values of resource management. Fusion Summons required a lot of investment, so they would need to try and recover as many resources as they could.

"This is _molto_ _importante_ ," he explained his students. "Even Reds should now that Duel Monsters is a resource game, too. I-"

He rose his head to look at the ceiling. To his horror, a green circle appeared over him. the inside of the circle emitted a white light, which shone down on him like some sort of holy spotlight. The teacher simply watched in awe.

And then four children fell from the portal landing on top of him and knocking him to the floor.

A very, very confused class of students watched the scene. Yugo Yuzu, Gongenzaka and Sawatari rose from the ground, rubbing various sore spots on their bodies. They groaned, then took a few steps away from the scene.

"We could have snapped our necks..." said Gongenzaka.

"I'm never doing that again..." Yuzu groaned.

"But we're in a classroom," Sawatari pointed out. "So, that means we probably made it."

Yugo waved to the students. "Oi! What dimension is this?"

"The Fusion Dimension, you idiot!" answered a student in blue.

The teacher rose up from the ground. Now sporting a swollen face, he glared at the trio and Sawatari. The kids turned around to stare at the tall, imposing man.

"Who are _you_ kids?" he said austerely. Notably, he spoke with a thick Italian accent.

 _Wait._ The man's heart dropped. He recognized the tomato-headed one. He looked a bit different, but there was no mistaking this boy. The evil little tyrant that made his life a living hell.

 _"You,"_ he hissed. "I thought you were gone for good. Have you come back to torment me, _bambino_?"

 _I know this teacher!_ came Yuri's voice. _Yugo, this is one of the school's best teachers. By this school's low standards, anyway._

"Well?" the man said. "I'm waiting. ANSWER ME!"

"Hey, Yuya!" Yugo called out. "Someone's here to talk to you! I'm outtie."

The boy's eyes shifted back to red, and a confused Yuya blinked. He looked around the classroom in confusion.

"Eh? We're here already?" he wondered out loud.

"Yes, you're here!" the teacher snapped. "Here at Duel Academia. But if you don't even know where you are, it sounds like you don't belong here!"

Yuya jumped. The teacher's words were harsh and judgmental. He just kept his eyes on the teacher and gave him a very nervous, very unsure egao.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your class, sir!" he said meekly. "... Ma'am? Sir...?"

"Chronos de Medici!" the man answered. "Head professor and Chair of Techniques. The man whose class you callously interrupted!"

" _Ooooh_ , Yuya's in trouble..." Sawatari said under his breath.

Yuzu's face soured. "Sawatari, we're all in trouble."

"But we're not the ones being yelled at; Yuya is."

Chronos's eyes bared down on Yuya, and Yuya just grew more and more nervous. Flop wweat was pouring down his forehead now. And to make it all worse

"It-it was an accident, sir!" Yuya pleaded. "We didn't mean to interrupt your class-"

"Accident or not, you are interfering with my class's education!"

But then the man folded his arms. His glower changed into a smug little egao.

"If you'd like to make it up to me and my class, I know how."

"Yes!" Yuya said quickly. "If there's anything I can do, just say the word!"

"We will duel in front of my class. I will show my students how a proper duelists conducts themselves."

Yuya nodded furiously. "I can duel, sir!"

"And when they see you, they'll see a cautionary tale on how _not_ to act. Your humiliation will serve to show my students how important my lessons are, lest they end up like _you_."

"Hey, back off!" Yuzu barked. "Yuya's the greatest duelist I know! He could duel circles around your weird face!"

Chronos turned to Yuzu and glared at her. But the girl just stepped up and glared right back at him. The air around them was tense.

"... We'll see," Chronos said finally. "And once he loses the duel, you will all be escorted from the school, _never_ allowed to return."

Sawatari's jaw dropped. "Yuya, my dad payed good money for summer school! Don't waste his money, or else!"

Yuya gulped. Boy, he sure got himself in a mess. With a lot riding on him winning this duel, could he pull it off? Well, obviously he could and _would_ ; he was the star of the story. But Yuya didn't know that.

* * *

 _ **Next time: Yuya squares off against the master of the Ancient Gear archetype. He'll be fighting against some of the most powerful Ancient Gear monsters in a high-stakes duel.**_


	33. Class 2: Entrance Exam

_**Fun Fact: Yugo isn't sure if skunk apes exist, but he likes to keep an open mind.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: Chronos and Yuya duel for the fate of Sawatari's future.**_

* * *

Chronos and Yuya stood opposite of each other on a stage. They had taken their quarrel to one of the school's stadiums, where they would conduct their duel. Chronos now had some large Duel Disk, which was infused into the front of his coat.

Yuzu, Gongenzaka, Sawatari, and Chronos's entire classroom had assembled in the stands, the former three having front-row seats. The students, wearing various colors, were discussing the turn of events amongst themselves.

The turn of events, of course, were started by our heroes falling through time and space, landing right on Professor Chronos de Medici. Threatening to expel the kids from the school, he and Yuya would engage in a duel to determine if the man's plan would go through.

"This stadium is used for entrance exam duels," Chronos explained to Yuya. "In a way, this duel will decide if you can enter Duel Academia."

"It's like our own entrance exam," Yuya said gravely. "For Sawatari's sake, I can't lose."

"YUYA!" Sawatari called from the stands. "FOR MY SAKE, YOU CAN'T LOSE!"

"OKAY!" Yuya answered. "I won't!"

Chronos scoffed. "Like I'd allow a despicable bambino into this school. We just got you out; we're not going to let you and your miscreant little minions back in."

"I'm not Yuri, sir!" Yuya protested. "Well, I'm not _really_ Yuri, but-"

Chronos's Duel Disk activated, creating an enormous blade. And with a sigh, Yuya reluctantly activated his own Duel Disk in turn.

"You'll be a great example for my students," Chronos told him. "You will show them what happens when a drop-out boy crosses me!"

"Maybe my duels can reach you, professor," Yuya said.

 _ **"DUEL!"**_

* * *

"Time for the opening act!" Yuya declared. "I summon Performapal Skullcrobat Joker."

Once Yuya threw a card onto the center of his Disk, a humanoid monster materialized onto the field. The blond man tipped his top hat to the opponent. **(ATK 1800)**

"When Joker is Normal Summoned, I can add a Performapal, Odd-Eyes or Magician card to my hand. So I'm adding Harmonizing Magician to my hand."

Yuya's deck sputtered, and a card was ejected from near the middle of the deck. Yuya pulled out the card and added it to his hand.

"With my Scale 3 Performapal Medicimian, and my Scale 6 Performapal Splashmammoth, I set the Pendulum Scales."

Yuya set the cards on either end of his Disk's blade. Two columns of light appeared on either side of him, and the Scales floated to the top of the pillars. Their numbers appeares below them: 3 for Medicimian, and 6 for Splashmammoth.

Medicimian was a golden tamarin, hunched over a book in its hand. It wore a yellow-spotted green bowtie, a tuxedo top with a red cross on the back, and a stethoscope used as a headband. Medicimian looked down on the field with a happy little egao on its face.

"This is Pendulum Summoning," Chronos said under his breath. "Are the rumors true, then?"

"Swing, pendulum of the soul! Carve an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon! "

A swirling pendulum swayed circles in the sky. From within the center of that circle, twin balls of light fell to the ground.

"Let's go, my monsters friends!"

One light took the form of Performapal Silver Claw **(ATK 1800)** , while the other became Harmonizing Magician. **(DEF 0)**

"Medicimian's effect activates: once per turn, when I Pendulum Summon two or more monsters, including a Performapal monster, I gain 500 Life Points. _Prescription Shift!_ "

This effect, of course, was shown as Medicimian opening up its book and tearing out a page. It crumpled up the page into a ball, then threw it out of the column. It fell through the air and bounced off of Yuya's head. **(Yuya: 4000 → 4500)**

Some of the students in the crowd started to laugh. Yuya simply looked at his opponent and gave him a cheeky egao. This just seemed to frustrated Chronos more, however.

Chronos pointed a finger towards Harmonizing Magician. "You summoned such a weak monster?! Are you really that dense, _garzone_?"

 _Do you think he really knows Italian, or is he just pretending?_ Yugo wondered.

 _People who sprinkle foreign words like that are usually just pretenders,_ Yuri told him.

Yuya gave the professor a sly wink. "When Harmonizing Magician is Pendulum Summoned, I can Special Summon a Magician monster from my deck. However, it's banished when it leaves the field."

A monster rose from the ground. Timegazer Magician now stood by Harmonizing Magician's side, its arms crossed. **(DEF 600)**

"I tune my Level 3 Timgazer Magician with my Level 4 Harmonizing Magician."

Harmonizing Magician floated above the field. Her body dissolved into four green circles, floating and spinning before each other. Timegazer leapt into the circles, and his body became three orbs of light.

"Through the power of unity and harmony, be born as the inferno with dual-colored eyes. Your fire ignite the passions of the world! Synchro Summon"

The rings and orbs joined together, taking the shape of a new form. The form crashed into the field and formed an enormous, spinning tornado of fire.

"Level 7!" Yuya cried. "Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon!"

The flames son faded, revealing a dragon wreathed in flames. It let out a fierce roar and threw its head to the sky. It opened its beak-like mouth, and it breathed a torrent of fire into the air. **(DEF 2000)**

Chronos raised an eyebrow. He looked at the dragon in silence, seemingly studying the monster. He didn't seem particularly amused or impressed with it, however.

Yuya took a deep breath. He had to think carefully now, and avoid any unnecessary risks. He knew nothing of Chronos's deck; if he was packing a lot of power, _not_ going on the defensive would have been a risk.

 _We're doing this for Sawatari,_ he told himself. _Don't let him down._

"When Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon one monster from my Pendulum Zone, but Meteorburst can't attack this turn."

Yuya lifted Splashmammoth from his Disk, and slid it onto the field. The column faded out of sight, and Splashmammoth materialized onto the field. **(DEF 2300)**

"Now I activate Splashmammoth's effect," Yuya declared. "I can Fusion Summon a Dragon-Type monster from myDeck, using monsters I control as Fusion Materials. And I use my Performapal Skullcrobat Joker, and my Performapal Silver Claw as the Materials."

The two monsters were lifted into the air, into a vortex of swirling colors. Their bodies contorted and melded together, taking the shape of a new creation.

"Prideful silver wolf, become one with the wild sorcerer and birth to a new legend! Fusion Summon! Level 8, Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!"

From the swirling vortex came the fearsome dragon. Starving Venom clawed out of the swirls, and the mouths over its body ripped at the vortex until it was shredded into pieces. **(ATK 2800)**

Chronos's face remained stern. "So you can still Fusion Summon, brat. Do you think I'm terrified of your dragon?"

"I don't want you to be scared," Yuya replied. "Starving Venom loves to fight, but now he fights to show everyone the most exciting battles!"

Chronos groaned.

"I'll end my turn here," Yuya concluded. "The spotlight's on you, professor!"

Yuya ended his turn with three monsters on the field, one card in his hand, and one card in his Pendulum Zone. His Life Points were sitting at 4500.

* * *

Chronos drew a card. Now with six cards in his hand, he started to formulate his path to victory.

"I activate the Continuous Spell, Ancient Gear Fortress."

Chronos placed a card on his blade. The card materialized onto the field. Its artwork depicted an ancient, weathered fortress atop of a cliff.

" _Attivare,_ Ancient Gear Catapult!"

He placed another card on his blade. This time, a strange, tank-like contraption appeared on the field. It spun the top of its body around, turning its cannon and aiming it at Ancient Gear Fortress.

"While I control no monsters, I can destroy one face-up card I control. And if I do, I can Special Summon an Ancient Gear monster from my Deck."

The catapult started to hum. A soft, pulsating glow shone fro the tip of the cannon's barel. And then, a stream of light shot out and blasted Ancient Gear Fortress. This lead to the sound of the card shattering, smoke and rubble spreading over Chronos's side of the field.

"When my Fortress is destroyed, I can Special Summon an Ancient Gear Monster from my hand or Graveyard."

The smoke started to clear. Now, standing before Chronos were two robotic monsters: Ancient Gear Wyvern **(ATK 1700)** , and a tall, gangly humanoid known as Ancient Gear Doctorate. **(ATK 1500)**

"When Ancient Gear Wyvern is summoned, I can add an Ancient Gear card to my hand," Chronos explained. "I add Ancient Gear Golem - Ultimate Pound."

Crowler's deck ejected the card at the top of his deck. Chronos snatched it up and presented it to the crowd of students. This was followed by some awes and murmurs from the audience.

 _Yuri, what's that card?_ Yuya asked.

Yuri didn't answer. No one did.

 _Hmm..._

"I tribute my two monsters to Tribute Summon!" Chronos went on. "Arise from the past and bring your destructive powers down on your enemies! Arise, _grande mostro_! Ancient Gear Golem - Ultimate Pound!"

The two robotic monsters vanished from the field. Now, rising from the ground, was an enormous, hulking behemoth. It clawed its way out of the floor and dragged itself onto the field. Then, with the sound of juttering gears accompanying its movements, the monster slowly rose into a standing position. **(ATK 3000)**

Yuya's eyes dropped down to his Duel Disk's screen. He studied the monster's card thoroughly, reading every bit of information he could. And as he read its effects, looked at its ATK and DEF, and looked back to the monster himself, he knew that the monster was going to be dangerous.

 _But why didn't he just summon it with Catapult's effect?_

"Doctorate's effect _attiva_ ," Chronos announced to the audience. "When this monster is tributed for the Tribute Summon of an Ancient Gear monster, I gain 500 Life Points." **(Chronos: 4000 → 4500)**

Yuya closed his eyes. _What do you guys think?_

 _That can't be it,_ Yugo told him. _He was talking about conserving resources before we showed up._

 _Maybe he's also playing defensively, like us,_ Yuto added. _Keep his Life Points high to make a One Turn Kill more difficult._

 _Let's wait and see how his turn goes._

 _"Fase di battaglia!"_ Chronos declared. "Ancient Gear Golem - Ultimate Pound attacks Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon."

Golem sauntered towards Yuya's side of the field. As it moved closer to him, it raised its right arm and pulled it back. It threw its fist down onto Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon, shattering it. **(Yuya: 4500 → 3500)**

"My monster inflicts piercing damage when it attacks a Defense position monster," Chronos explained. "So you still take the damage!"

"Piercing damage?" Yuya asked. "So playing defensively won't work, then."

" _Sais non fini!_ When this card destroys an opponent's monster in battle, I can discard a Machine-type monster; Ultimate Pound can attack again!"

Yuya gulped. Ancient Gear Golem once again towered over him, pulling its mechanized fist back. It brought its fist down on Starving Venom, who threw its hands up to try and hold off the fist. But the weight was too much, and the hand ploughed through Starving Venom's body. **(Yuya: 3500 → 3300)**

"Starving Venom's effect!" Yuya declared. "If this card is destroyed, I can destroy as many... Special... Summoned monsters..."

Well, this was awkward. He briefly forgot that Chronos's monster wasn't Special Summoned. He cringed and slapped his forehead.

"That's why I Tribute Summoned my Golem!" Chronos laughed. "I won't fall for your tricks again, Yuri!"

"But I'm not Yuri," Yuya replied. "I'm Yuya."

"Don't you lie to me! I would recognize the _bambino_ who carded me!"

Yuya's eyes bulged from his head. He frantically dub deep into his mind, hoping to feel Yuri's presence. Some sort of answer or explanation for this revelation. But unfortunately, Yuri wasn't answering him.

"I didn't card you!" Yuy pleaded. "Please, that wasn't... _exactly_ me!"

"I still remember you laughing at me when I lost," Chronos went on. "You knew it was against the rules, but you did it anyway! And why did you do it?"

"I don't know! I didn't do it!"

"Do you know why?!" Chronos screamed.

Yuya felt a flash of a memory in his mind. A fuzzy, hard-to-see memory. He wasn't sure what it was. But he could hear a familiar laugh, and see the horrible panic on Chronos's face before he vanished from sight.

"... Because it was funny," Yuya said quietly. "And no one would have dared to stand up against Yuri."

"That's right," Chronos said gravely. "I was gone for nearly a year. That part of my life is gone forever. Because _you_ stole it from me!"

Yuya looked at his opponent wih sad eyes. He could feel the sorrow from each and every word he said. And to make it worse, the vision in his head was becoming clearer. Yuri's cruel laughter continued to echo on.

He could also hear Yuri, the _actual_ Yuri, giggle away.

"I now _attivare_ the Spell, Ancient Gear Scrapping!" Chronos shouted. "I can destroy one card I control, then Special Summon an Ancient Gear Token to my field!"

The enormous golem hunched over Yuya' side of the field. Its body let out a long, ominous groan. Bolts and wires started to fall from its body. Its arm detatched from its shoulder, falling down on the field. Its head slid off its body and fell towards Yuya. it would have crushed him, had it (and the rest of the body) not shattered.

A small, lonely gear now materialized onto Chronos's side of the field. **(DEF 0)**

"But why would he destroy his own monster?" Sawatari wondered. "After all that talk about resources, you'd think he wouldn't waste his best card."

"It's probably part of a bigger strategy," Gongenzaka explained. "Honestly, this sort of thing should be expected; _Duel Monsters_ is built around weird moves."

The audience was now talking amongst themselves. Many of them were excited for the next move their teacher would make, while other, younger students expressed confuion. Chronos cleared his throat to silence the crowd.

"When Ultimate Pound is destroyed by battle or card effect:, I can add Polymerization to my hand, along with adding another Ancient Gear monster from my Graveyard to hand."

A card was ejected from the middle of Chronos's deck, while Ancient Gear Doctorate was ejected from the Graveyard slot. Chronos pulled these two cards up and presented them to his opponent.

"Now, I fuse my Ancient Gear Token with my Ancient Gear Golem - Mechanized Mele!"

The two monsters were lifted above the professor, into a vortex of swirling colors. Their metal forms contorted and melded together, taking the shape of a new creation.

"Mechanical soldiers inheriting ancient _anima_. Now, _forma_ an allegiance and _unire_ , and be reborn together as a _nuovo_ _anatra_! Fusion Summon!"

The combined creation now became an evil-looking creature. I was like a humanoid figure with dragon-like feet and wings, but the head of a serpent. Its glowing red eyes pierced through Yuya's heart.

"Level 8! Ancient Gear Howitzer!" **(DEF 1800)**

Yuya pushed some hair from his eyes. "Okay, I think I know your strategy now."

" _Attivare_ , Howitzer's effect!" Chronos went on. "During my Main Phase, I can inflict 1000 points of damage to my opponent!"

Howitzer's eyes glowed. Red laser beams shot out from its eyes, crossing the field and hitting the ground before Yuya. **(Yuya: 3300 → 2300)**

Yuya could feel memories floating through his mind. He remembered this. He remembered being hit with this very same effect, as Yuri.

"I end my turn here. Your move, _bambino_."

Chronos ended his turn with with Ancient Gear Howitzer on his field, and one card in his hand. He had 4500 Life Points.

* * *

Yuzu watched Yuya as he drew his next card. Even if she couldn't help him now, she could still give his show all the attention it deserved.

 _No one respects that man as a teacher, but as a duelist, he's the master of Ancient Gear deck,_ Serena said quietly. _Obelisk Force was trained under him._

Yuzu sighed. _He's fighting Professor Chronos for Sawatari's sake. He won't allow himself to lose now._

 _Typical Yuya._

 _... So, how do you think Yuya would look in tighter pants?_ Ruri asked. _Like, something more flattering than his regular baggy pants._

 _Stop talking,_ Rin told her.

 _I think about that a lot, too,_ Serena agreed.

 _Stop talking,_ Rin told her.

* * *

"With my Scale 8 Performapal Odd-Eyes Stack Bonuser, I set the Pendulum Scale!"

Yuya placed the card on the far end of his disk. Rising up in a column of light was Odd-Eyes Stack Bonuser, a gorilla with the lower half of a centaur. Once it reached the top of the column, the number 8 appeared below it.

"With this, I can now Pendulum Summon monsters with Levels between 4 and 7. Pendulum Summon!"

A swirling pendulum swayed circles in the sky. From within the center of that circle, twin balls of light fell to the ground. They became Silver Claw **(ATK 1800)** and Skullcrobat Joker. **(ATK 1800)**

"Medicimian's effect activates-"

A ball of paper already hit Yuya's head, much to his shock. This just caused more laughter from the audience. **(Yuya: 2300 → 2800)**

"Young man, take this battle more seriously!" Chronos barked. "You do _not_ make a mockery of this situation!"

"But sir, I _am_ taking this match seriously!" Yuya responded, egao-ing. "That doesn't mean we can't have fun though, right?"

Chronos rubbed his own chin. "... I suppose that's true. I'm enjoying my inevitable victory, _oui_."

"Now let's keep the fun going!" Yuya announced. "Silver Claw attacks your Ancient Gear Howitzer! And at this time, the ATK of all Performapals I control is increased by 300 when it attacks." **(ATK 1800 → 2100)**

The prideful silver wolf dashed across the field, baring its fangs. It jumped onto Howitzer's chest and knocked it to the ground. Then, its claws ripped through the monster's metal exterior, causing it to crackle and shatter.

" _Attivare_ , Howitzer's effect!" said Chronos. "When it's destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon an Ancient Gear monster from my Deck, ignoring its Summoning conditions."

Now, rising from the ground, was an enormous, hulking behemoth. It clawed its way out of the floor and dragged itself onto the field, while Silver Claw retreated to Yuya's side. Now Ancient Gear Golem rose into a standing position again, towering over the field. **(ATK 3000)**

This time, Yuya wasn't so worried. "I overlay my Level 4 Performapal Silver Claw and Performapal Skullcrobat Joker!"

A black hole opened in the center of the field. The two monsters became balls of light, then allowed themselves to be sucked into the center of the hole.

"Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs!" Yuya cried. "Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"

The hole exploded into wave of light, and a black dragon rose in front Yuya. Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon let out a defiant roar as a threat to the enemy. **(ATK 2500)**

"Dark Rebellion's effect! I can detach an Overlay Unit to target one of your monsters; it loses half of its ATK, and Dark Rebellion gains that amount. _Treason Discharge!_ "

An Overlay Unit disappeared into Dark Rebellion's mouth. The dragon emitted a purple lighting, which smashed against the enormous golem's chest. **(ATK 3000 → 1500) (Dark Rebellion ATK 2500 → 4000)**

"Again! _Treason Discharge!_ "

 **(ATK 1500 → 750) (Dark Rebellion ATK 4000 → 4750)**

"A strong monster that will be hard to overcome!" declared Yuya. "And due to Stack Bonuser's effect, Dark Rebellion's ATK won't return to normal after my turn ends. I set a card and end my turn. Over to you, professor!"

Yuya ended his turn with Dark Rebellion and Splashmammoth on the field, his two Pendulum Scales, a face-down Spell of Trap, and no cards in his hand. His Life Points were at a comfy 2800.

Yuya kept on egao-ing. He had Yuri's memories in his mind, showing him Chronos's strongest cards. And as he looked down at Chronos's field, he was beginning to work out the combination of cards that could bring them out.

If Chronos had a bit of luck (and, let's face it, _everyone_ does in duels), he'd bring out that monster. And if Yuya had a bit of luck, he'd be able to beat it.

* * *

The audience immediately went into discussion. Words and whispers were exchanged amongst the students, all expressing awe over the turn of events. Within an instant, this strange new kid created a power monster, and their teacher's own creation was reduced to a weakling.

As he drew his neck card, Chronos raised an eyebrow at Yuya. He knew that this would be too strong for his monsters to defeat on their own. The situation wasn't as bad as before, but...

But nothing. Chronos had to admit that this duel was grabbing at his attention. This time, he wasn't facing an impossible obstacle. This duel was testing his skills, but it wasn't a hopeless battle like the last time.

He egao'd. He could do this. He _knew_ he could. And as he looked down at the card he drew, he could see hope for his victory.

"I attivare the Spell Card, Jar of Avarice!" he declared. "I can return five monsters from my Graveyard to my Deck, then draw two cards!"

When Chronos placed the card on his blade, the image of an enormous, grinning pot appeared on the field. Five cards floated from the ground around it, lifting themselsed up and falling inside the pot. And once every card was placed inside, the pot licked its lips and shattered.

Chronos egao'd smugly, then drew two cards. His hand now held three cards.

"I summon Ancient Gear Hunting Hound," Chronos went on. "When it's Normal Summoned, I can inflict 600 points of damage to my opponent."

A robotic dog-machine materialized onto the field. **(ATK 1000)** It growled at Yuya, then opened its mouth, letting a blast of fire cross the field. It slipped through Yuya's monsters and hit him directly. **(Yuya: 2800 → 2200)**

" _Attivare_ , Hunting Hound's second effect: I can Fusion Summon an Ancient Gear Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck, using monsters from my hand and field as the Materials."

"Here it comes..." Yuya told himself.

"Mechanized hounds! Robotic behemoth! Become one now and demonstrate your tremendous power!"

Hunting Hound leapt into the air. Another Hunting Hound, and an Ancient Gear Golem, materialized on either side of the monster, and the three melded together.

"Fusion Summon! _Bonjour!_ Level 10, Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem!"

The melded creation became an even bigger, hulking monster, a centaur Ancient Gear Golem. It descended to the field and towered over everyone on the field. **(ATK 4400)**

"That's not enough to beat Dark Rebellion," Yuya told him. "But I believe you can figure it out sir!"

Chronos egao'd. "Your approval means nothing Yuri... Although it is appreciated, I suppose."

He held up a card and revealed it to Yuya. "I play this _molto bene_ Spell card, Ancient Gear Castle!"

A card rose up on the field. This time, the art depicted an ancient castle, armed with large gears, tanks, and other weaponry. The castle that was hidden in the Ancient Gear Fortress.

"All Ancient Gear monsters gain 300 ATK, making my monster that much stronger." **(ATK 4400 → 4700)**

"But that's not enough to destroy Dark Rebellion," Yuya countered.

"Dark Rebellion's not my target, _bambino_ ," Chronos responded, wagging a finger at him. "My target is Performapal Splashmamoth!"

The audience murmured. Sawatari pulled at his hair, while Yuzu clenched her fists. Gongenzaka started to sweat, but tried to maintain his composure for the time being.

"Now you'll know what it's like to lose everything!" Chronos cackled. "Any last words, Yuri?"

Chronos pointed a finger at Yuya. Yuya egao'd, much to the surprise of his opponent.

"This duel's been a lot of fun!" Yuya told him. "I just hope you're entertained, too."

Chronos lowered his finger. The sneer on his face dropped, and his eyes became softer. Looking at the innocent, happy boy before him, he finally realized something: this boy was nothing like the monster that carded him.

"... Admittedly, I _am_ ," he confessed. "But it's over now. When my Golem attacks, you can't activate Spell or Trap cards to save you. You can't defeat me now."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that!" Yuya said confidently.

 _"Que?"_

"I'm going to activate my face-down _before_ you begin the Battle Phase!" Yuya declared. "Trap, activate! Mysterious Hats!"

The face-down Trap rose up, displaying the image of three top hats: one red, one green, and one yellow.

"When I control two or more monsters, I can flip them into face-down Defense position," Yuya explained. "Then, I can place one Spell or Trap card from my Deck in Defense Position."

Three large hats, each with a different color, materialized on the field. A red hat materialized around Dark Rebellion, hiding it from sight. A yellow hat did the same for Splashmammoth. And a third, green hat simply appeared beside the other two. The three hats then started to change between multiple colors, and they started to shuffle around the field. **(DEF 0)**

"These three cards are treated as monsters with 0 ATK and DEF," he went on. "But piercing damage will always be calculated. This means that I'd be taking a lot of damage!"

"Why would you do this?" Chronos asked, incredulous. "Now you'll take even more damage!"

Now it was Yuya's turn to wag his finger at his opponent. "Because if you attack the Spell card, battle damage isn't calculated, and the Battle Phase ends."

"I see," said Chronos. "So this whole match comes to a gamble, then."

"Yep! You have a two-in-three chance of attacking a monster and winning. The odds are against me, but the rewards can save me."

Chronos egao'd. "Alright. I'll play your little game, _bambino_."

The three hats stopped their shuffling. They aligned themselves in a horizontal lin before Yuya. The colors eventually stopped changing, and the hats each took a unique color once more.

Chronos stared at the cards, then spoke under his breath. His eyes looked to each hat, studying any of them for some sort of tell.

A silence fell over the crowd. Everyone was focused on the duel, waiting to see what would happen next. Some kids were literally on the edges of their seat. This could have been one of the greatest turn-arounds they had ever seen, or the biggest mistake.

After a moment of contemplation, Chronos raised a finger. He pointed a hand at the red hat, right in the center. "Attack, Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem!"

The centaur monster ran towards the hats. It raised both fists above its head, then slammed them right down on the red hat. The resulting impact created smoke that obscured that part of the field.

All eyes were on the field. As the smoke started to clear away, the audience collectively rose from their seats and congregated towards the edge of the stands.

The smoke cleared. Rising up from the tattered remains of the hat were faces. The smiling, happy faces created from Smile World spread from the ground and spread through the field.

"You hit Smile World, my Spell!" Yuya happily explained. "So luckily, I survive another turn."

Chronos stood there, stunned by the outcome. His eyes were practically locked on the hats as they faded from sight, revealing the two monsters. But he could hear the cheers, groans, gasps, screams, laughter, clapping. He heard every sound the audience made. His students were going wild.

"Because Dark Rebellion was flipped face-down, and back up, its ATK boosts are removed," Yuya explained. "So, its ATK returns to its original state." **(Dark Rebellion ATK 4750 → 2500)**

"You have a lot of work cut out for you, _mio amico_ ," Chronos told him. "Even if you overcome my Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem, its effect will summon another Ancient Gear Golem to protect me. And when my next turn comes, I'll defeat you."

Yuya winked. "We'll see, professor."

Chronos ended his turn with Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem and Ancient Gear Castle on his field, and 4500 Life Points. He had no cards in his hand.

* * *

Yuya looked to the card in his hands, to his field, to his opponent's field, and to his opponent. Surviving the last turn was a miracle in itself. To pull off the strategy he wanted wouldn't be too helpful, because he had to deal with the inevitable Ancient Gear Golem. Maybe he'd survive Chronos's next turn, if he was lucky. But from where he stood right now, he decided that a swift victory was needed to ensure Sawatari's future at the school.

While members of the audience returned to their seats, Yuzu, Sawatari and Gongenzaka stayed up. The three of them started to slap slowly, but loudly for Yuya.

Soon, more students started to join in. To Yuya's surprise, the rhythm of the clapping grew stronger and stronger as more people joined. The stomping of Splashmammoth's foot joined in on the beat, and Dark Rebellion's own claps almost dwarfed the sound of everyone else.

Looking across the field, he could even see Chronos joining in on the clapping. He had a big egao on his face. He was also waiting to see where this match would take them.

Yuya placed a hand on his deck. He could feel the presence of Yuto, Yugo, and even Yuri join him. Together, they drew a card.

Yuya looked at the card in his hand. The perfect Spell Card to turn this all around.

"I activate The Phantom Knights' Rank-Up-Magic Launch!" Yuya announced. "I can target a DARK Xyz monster I control without any Overlay Units; I can Xyz Summon an Xyz monster that's one Rank higher, from my Extra Deck, using that monster and this Spell Card as material."

The black hole ripped through the ground, and it extended its black tendrils around Dark Rebellion. Dark Rebellion was immediately wrapped up in a sea of ever-rising tendrils, blanketing in black until it was completely covered.

"From the depths of purgatory, dedicate to the unsinking souls your song of rebellion!" Yuya chanted. "Appear and echo forevermore! Rank-Up Xyz Change! Rank 5, Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon!"

The monster let out a roar. It clawed through the tendrils, ripping apart the darkness that engulfed it. It now sported a new, armored body and wings that displayed a wide array of beautiful colors. **(ATK 3000)**

"Now swing, pendulum of the soul!" he shouted. "Pendulum Summon! From my hand, I call on the dragon with dichromatic eyes!"

A swirling pendulum swayed circles in the sky. From within the center of that circle, a light fell andc crashed before Yuya. His ace and closest card, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon stood before him. **(ATK 2500)**

"Dark Requiem's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can reduce one of your monster's ATK to 0, and Dark Requiem gains that ATK."

Dark Requiem flew into the air. It spread its glorious wings. The flrescent lighting's rays were caught in them, casting beautiful lights across the entire stadium. Everyone was left gasping in amazement over the beautiful display of colors.

The light fell on Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem, now crackling and pulsating light lightning. **(Golem ATK 4400 → 0) (Dark Requiem ATK 3000 → 7400)**

The rhythmic clapping stopped. Now, the audience burst into their own varying applause the cheers. Even Chronos was left awe-struck by the monster before him.

"Your heart and soul will battle mine," Yuya declared. "Battle! Odd-Eyes attacks your Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem! Spiral Flame Strike!"

Odd-Eyes pulled its head back and opened its mouth. A spiraling red flame shot out and swirled, smashing against the Golem. Smoke poured from the monster's body, before its body came tumbling down.

Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem was now on its knees. It fell to its side with a groan, then vanished from sight.

 _"Gotcha!"_ Yuya cheered.

 **(Chronos: 4500 → 0)**

* * *

The Solid Visions cards faded into sparkles, then fading away entirely. All that was left were Chronos and Yuya, who now met each other at the center of the stage.

"That was a great duel, professor!" Yuya exclaimed. He held out a hand to the man.

Chronos took the hand in his own and shook it. "You really aren't anything like that Yuri boy, are you?"

"Yes and no," Yuya admitted. "But I'm Yuya. Yuya Sakaki."

"Mr. Sakaki, I think you and your friends earned a place at this school. After we register you all and hold exams for your friends, I'll be escorting you to your dorms.

"Wha? Dorms?" Yuya questioned. "But only Sawatari is stayi-"

"Nonsense!" Chronos exclaimed. "Consider that duel your entrance exam. As far as I'm concerned, you earned your place in this school."

Chronos put his hands on Yuya's shoulders and turned him around. Then, he forcefully lead the boy towards one of the exit doors.

"With your skill, you'll definitely be placed in Ra!" he happily explained. "But I'll work on getting you into Obelisk immediately, so you can stay close to me and learn as much as you can!"

"That's... great," Yuya mumbled.

From the corner of his eye, Yuya noticed the crowd. In the nosebleeds section of the stands, staring right back at him, was Reiji Akaba.

* * *

 _ **A/N: I gave Chronos a few OC cards to help his deck, and to make it more personalized to his style. (Scrapping can make use of his Golem's destruction effect and set up a Fusion play, Doctorate provides a bonus when Tributed.) A lot of people use Ancient Gears in ARC-V, but I wanted to make his version of the deck feel different. And because Yuya would have otherwise steamrolled through him.**_

 _ **EDIT: HunteHQ pointed out an error: Dark Rebellion's effect only lasts until the end of the turn it was used. I changed Odd-Eyes Unicorn to Stack Bonuser to allow the bonus to stay. I could have easily written this out and changed things, but I feel like creating a wall for Chronos to overcome would have shown his resolve and skill.**_

 _ **Next time: Yuya and Sora enjoy the school's hot springs. Serena's curiosity gets the better of her.**_


	34. BONUS Level 5: It is

**A/N: We interrupt this story arc for a little side project. Don't worry, this will all make sense later on.**

* * *

A girl's red sweater rested in a small shoe box, gently folded and molded to take the box's shape. It rested on a desk by Yuzu's window, and the sun's rays poured down on the lid. Resting inside was a small, sleeping bluethroat.

Yuzu was very surprised to find the bird on her front lawn that morning. It was injured, and it let out an aria of pain. But thanks to Ruri's advice and intervention, they were able to safely wrangle up the bird and bring it inside.

It took a while for the bird to calm down. But eventually, its panicked cries softened over time. And Yuzu and Ruri stood by its side the whole time, taking turns keeping watch.

Yuzu sat on a chair and rested her hands on the desk, observing the shoebox. Her mind was filled with anxiety, but also hopeful optimism. She couldn't wait to see the little bird take to the skies again.

"Thanks for all your help, Ruri," Yuzu said quietly. "I don't think I would have known what to do without you here."

 _It's no problem,_ came Ruri's voice from within. _Shun and I did this before, when we were kids. Our home had a lot of trees nearby, so we would find birds on the ground sometimes._

"It's a good thing you had experience, then," Yuzu replied. "Did any of you have pets before?"

 _Me and Yugo took care of a cat,_ Rin said. _We couldn't afford to adopt and take care of it full-time, but we could give it food whenever it stopped by. Yugo loved to play with it._

 _Cats are great!_ Serena declared. _Fierce, independent, wouldn't fall out of a tree and get hurt... But we weren't allowed to have pets at Academia._

"I'm sorry to hear that," Yuzu said softly. "Maybe I could convince our dad to get us a cat?"

 _Which dad?_ Rin asked. _Yours, or Ruri's?_

"Mine, mine," Yuzu answered. "He's all of ours, too, and..."

Yuzu paused. A heavy, bitter feeling welled in the pit of her stomach. Her thoughts immediately went to Ruri, and the could only sympathize with her being separated from her family.

Yuzu put a hand to her cheek. Hopefully, Ruri would somehow be able to feel it. A sympathetic show of support.

"Ruri," she started. "We're going to visit our family in the Xyz Dimension soon, okay?"

 _Ruri, I'm super sorry!_ Rin said sweetly. _I mean, I didn't mean anything by it._

There was a moment of hesitation before Ruri responded, _Don't worry about me, Rin. But I appreciate it. Thank you._

 _Yeah, I'm not worried, either,_ Serena added. _We're strong, we're fierce. We don't need a family to take care of us, anyway._

"Serena," Yuzu sighed. "I know you mean well, but-"

 _Yeah! Talk about being rude,_ Rin scoffed.

 _I- well- I..._ Serena stammered. _I didn't mean to be... But hey! Don't blame me, you're the one who made things weird!_

 _Please, don't fight over me!_ Ruri pleaded.

"Stop arguing!" Yuza snapped. "Both of you, enough!"

Before any of the girls could speak further, they were interrupted. The sound of the doorbell echoed through the house; it was the gently four-note tune. Yuya quickly dropped the fan and started walking out of her room.

"That must be Yuya, girls," Yuzu whispered to the others. "Just relax, and try not to make things weird."

The voices in her head kept silent, leaving Yuzu to run down the stairs and head towards the front door.

She rushed past her father, who was in the living room by the door. Shuzo lowered the newspaper in his hands to follow his daughter with a gaze.

Yuzu opened the door, revealing Yuya's smiling face. Yuzu quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and threw herself into a hug. Yuya's hands first remained at his sides, but after a moment of hesitation, wrapped around Yuzu's waist.

"It's good to see you again, Yuzu," he said softly.

"It's good to see you too, Yuya," Yuzu said, smiling.

"It's good to see you two keeping a respectable distance from each other!" Shuzo called out. "Hands off my daughter, son."

Yuzu blushed, and the two pushed themselves away from each other. There was a bit of an awkward pause in the air, followed by Yuzu chuckling softly.

"Let me go get the bird," Yuzu told him. "Wait here - I know you'll just love to see her."

"I can't wait," the boy responded.

And with that, Yuzu turned around and headed back up the stairs. Yuri's violet eyes followed her up. He could tell that this was going to enjoy spending time with her.

Except, that's how it could have gone.

Yuri felt the cold tip of a kunai touch the back of his head. He could hear the heavy breathing of someone behind him. Shuzo Hiiragi, who was holding the weapon to Yuri, was standing behind him.

Yuzu turned around and gasped. "What are you doing?!"

"Don't think I don't recognize a disguise jutsu," Shuzo said gravely. "Now tell us who you really are."

Yuri smiled from ear to ear. His head turned around completely to look back at Shuzo. His now-reptilian eyes stared into Shuzo's nervous blues.

"Oh, it's seems as though I'm caught," Yuri said happily.

Yuri's body spun around, aligning properly with his head. He slowly started to grow in height, and his hair grew dark as it grew out. his skin grew even paler, and his tongue become sharp.

Staring at Shuzo was his mortal enemy, Orochimaru from _Naruto_.

"How's that?!" the man cackled. "The one who saved your world! The one who is loved by your daughters!"

"Where's the real Yuya?" Shuzo hissed.

"Don't you see?" Orochimaru laughed. "I _am_ Yuya, _now_!"

 _"No,"_ came a voice. _"You're dead!"_

Yuzu's katana stabbed into Orochimaru's back.

The man quickly spun his head around to see his own blood drip from his open wound. He could feel the tip of her blade dig in deeper. And he smiled.

"Yuzu, my Yuzu," he said sweetly. "You know you cannot win in your current state."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Yuzu said, smiling. "While you dueled, I studied the sword. I'm not some little Genin anymore."

"Oh, really?" Orochimaru asked. "Then tell me, are you strong enough to save your father?"

Yuzu's eyes softened. And just before she could ask what the villain meant, she heard the sound of something snap.

She turned her head to look beyond Orochimaru. To her horror, her father lay crumpled n the floor, a snake wrapped around his neck.

"F-Father!" Yuzu cried.

She let go of her sword and knelt before her father. Using a small Chidori, she destroyed the snake around her father's neck. But as her hands toucehd upon her father's chest, she could feel nothing.

Her father had died. And now, she cried. And Orochimaru cruelly laughed at her misfortune.

* * *

 **Next time: A ronin girl seeks vengeance. A girl with a dragon tattoo seeks to quell the fury in her heart. A lost soul seeks peace and silence. Will Yuzu master the demon in her heart? Or will her heart be consumed by Orchimaru's curse mark?**


	35. Class 3: Some Like it Hot Springs

_**Fun Fact: Yuya believes in skunk apes.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: Yuya and Sora enjoy Duel Academia's hot springs, while Serena and Asuka do the same.**_

* * *

While Yuzu, Sawatari and Gongenzaka began their entrance exams, Reiji and Yuya met in the school Chancellor's office. With the two of them alone, Reiji was eager to discuss things with his favorite Lancer.

Reiji leaned on the chancellor's desk, while Yuya sat on a chair before him. Reiji looked down at him, keeping watch of Yuya's every movement.

"... So you were behind the bus being late?" Yuya asked. "So we'd end up going to the Fusion Dimension and crashing on Chronos? So I duel him and prove myself to him?"

Reiji raised an eyebrow. "I don't understand."

"The- the bus," Yuya told him. "Our bus to the Dimension Highway was delayed by ninjas. Did you not send them? Tsukikage and Hikage?"

"I didn't orchestrate any such plan," said Reiji, shaking his head. "I've been in the Fusion Dimension, discussing something with Leo."

"Wha? Then why did ninjas delay our bus?"

"I don't know. Not every sinister incident involves my hand."

 _He's a liar, Yuya,_ Yuto growled. _How did he know about the stadium duel? He had to have been spying on us._

"Oh," Yuya said. "So... Reiji, what are you discussing with the Professor?"

"So far, we can shut down portals to and from the Link Dimension, but we've also been looking into ways that can permanently sever connections. This way, we will never have to worry about the fifth dimension's interference again."

"And the woman you told me about?" Yuya questioned. "You'll return her back home before then, right?"

"Of course," Reiji replied. "But while we are on the topic of Aoi Zaizen, I was hoping to ask something of you."

"Oh?"

"We're trying to interrogate her right now, to get as much information about the enemy as we can. Unfortunately, she's mostly uncooperative."

Reiji turned the Duel Disk on his left arm, sliding it over to show Yuya the screen. He tapped the screen, revealing a still image of Aoi Zaizen and Shun Kurosaki.

"I'm having Shun and others talk to her now," Reiji continued. "But if they can't get the information we need, we'll need your help."

"What makes you think I can help?"

"You have a way with people. A natural charisma, and a good heart. Everyone loves you; you can reach out to even the coldest of people, and make theme egao."

Yuya scratched the back of his head. "You're flattering me, but-"

"No buts, Yuya. You can meet me- _us_ at the Leo Corporation building. _After_ you enjoy your summer vacation."

The door to the rook creaked open. Leo Akaba stepped into the room, then quickly made his way over to the two boys.

"Reiji, I found some-"

"Yuya," Reiji interjected. "You may go now. I'll be sure to let the school now that you are free to use any resources available during your stay here."

Yuya nodded politely, then rose up from his seat. He slipped by Leo, then walked out of the room. Being the polite boy that he was, he also shut the door as he left.

Now Reiji and Leo were alone. And for a moment, neither of them spoke. But they knew what the other was thinking.

Ultimately, Leo spoke first, "... He's not right for you."

"I have the footage" Reiji responded. "That's all I need."

"The footage?"

Reiji lifted his left arm up, showing his father his Duel Disk.

"I record everything he does though his Duel Disk," he explained. "Studying my many, _many_ recordings were what allowed me to remember Zarc, when the Pendulum Dimension had forgotten."

"Recording your adventures? A smart move, son."

"So you can see why I still keep recording Yuya, Leo."

* * *

After a long day of waiting, falling through time and space landing on a teacher, dueling for the sake of your friend's education, and then having to sit through forty minutes of registration and phone calls home, Yuya was tired.

The good news was that Duel Academia was equipped with ways to help students relax. The school had their own onsen. He would get to relax in the hot spring bath, washing away the stress of the day while he waited for Gongenzaka, Yuzu and Sawatari to finish their examination duels.

In even better news, he wouldn't have to wait alone. Joining him in the springs was his friend and fellow Lancer, Sora Shiun'in. Chronos and Reiji arranged to give him the rest of the day off from school, meaning that they could spend the rest of the day together.

The two of them now sat in the hot spring pool, leaning against the bamboo partition that separated their spring from that of the female students. Yuya kept a small towel folded on his head, held in place by his goggles. Sora kept a lolipop in his mouth and.

"Would you like some candy, teacher?" Sora asked his friend.

His hand rose from the water, revealing some soggy gumdrops and gummies. A gummy worm slipped from his cand and landed in the water.

Yuya had to weigh his options on this one for a moment. But after some thought, he decided to take a gumdrop and slip it into his mouth.

"Thanks, Sora," he said in-between chews. "So, how's school been working out lately?"

Sora took the lolipop from his mouth. He looked up to the ceiling and let an egao slip from his face.

"It's been tough, honestly," Sora confessed. "Being a Blue doesn't just mean you have privileges; you also have to mentor other students, study harder than everyone else, work hard and duel harder. And you have to always keep working to keep your colors."

"What do you mean by that?"

Sora looked to him. "If you slack off, let yourself get rusty, or even lose to a Red, you risk being demoted a rank. We're not soldiers anymore, but the training here is still insane."

"That sounds tough," Yuya said, putting a hand on Sora's shoulder. "But you can always come to my dimension and go to our school."

"Nah. I think I'll stay here."

"Really?"

Sora egao'd. "Yeah. The work is tough, but it'll help me to become a greater duelist. And then I can be an Entertainment Duelist, like you."

Yuya blushed. "Jeez, why is everybody so nice to me today? _You_ were the one who challenged Zarc; I'm the one who admires you."

* * *

Yuzu had finished her own examination not too long after Yuya left with Reiji. Her exam proctor, impressed with her performance, told her that she deserved to skip the rest of the day and go hang out with her at the hot springs.

And by sheer coincidence, her proctor happened to be her friend. Yes, Asuka was technically abusing her role as an authority figure to give her friend perks. But since Yuzu was simultaneously 1/4th of Leo's daughter, 4/4ths of his daughter, not Leo's daughter at all, _and_ one of Reiji's Lancers, no one was really going to challenge her.

Not that Yuzu was going to argue. In fact, she wasn't even all that interested in wasting her summer in school. She already attended _two_ schools, and didn't need a third one. Luckily for her, Serena agreed to take over while she relaxed in the mindscape.

Asuka stepped into the girls' hot springs. She took Serena's hand, then helped her walk into the water. And once the two were inside, they waded over to the center of the water's center.

"This is relaxing," Serena admitted. "I never thought I would miss this so much. I really took them for granted while I was here."

"So you were a student here before, Serena?" Asuka asked.

"Yep," Serena said with a nod. "And for the summer, I am again."

"I hope you enjoy being a Yellow; it's a pretty comfy position to be in."

Serena's ears twitched. She could hear the sound of frantic splashing.

"Do you hear that?" she asked.

Serena walked over to the partition. She leaned against it, putting her hear against the bamboo. And she tried to start listening in on the noise that came from the other side.

"Spying on boys? Asuka asked.

"It's not that!" Serena snapped. "I think something's going on over there."

* * *

"Okay, next one!" Sora called out.

His hand rose from the water, casting two gumdrops into the air. Yuya quickly dashed forward and opened his mouth. He caught the first gumdrop, then jumped backward and caught the second one on his tongue.

"You did it!" Sora exclaimed.

"This candy tastes disgusting," Yuya said as he chewed. "Next rounds."

Sora shook his head. "No, the rest of this candy's mine, haha."

"Haha."

"Haha."

"Haha!"

"Haha! But seriously, touch any more and you die."

The two boys moved back to the partition, resting against it. With all the fun they were having, it was nice to get back to relaxing. And talking.

But sometimes, business needed to be discussed.

"So, did Reiji tell you about Links?" Yuya asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Sora replied. "He's been here for a while."

"What do you think about it? Is cutting ourselves off a good idea?"

Sora's hand rose from the water, placing an unwrapped chocolate bar in his mouth. He started to chew the tip for a moment.

"Honestly?" he said. "I don't like it."

"Really?"

"If the dimensions never connected, we never would have met."

Yuya egao'd. "Funny enough, I was thinking the same thing.I just hope the Link Dimension feels the same way."

"I just hope we don't have to fight..." Sora sighed. "I mean, I'll fight again if we have to. But I'm just tired of it."

"Man, I get that," Yuya answered. "The past few months have been crazy, but it beats the war. It beats prison."

"It beats just being a tool with no real friends."

"Do you have a lot of friends here, by the way?"

Sora nodded. "Yep! I get to help a lot of former Academia soldiers work out. You know what you, Gonny and Yuzu did for me? Now I get to do the same for others, and make friends with people who need it."

"Sora, you big softie!" Yuya chuckled. "But still, that's great!"

* * *

Serena kept her ear pressed against the bamboo. She wasn't fully sure what the people on the other side were talking about; somehow, the bamboo was able to muffle their words. Wasn't bamboo supposed to be hollow.

Regardless, Serena looked to Asuka with conviction. "It's Yuya. I think he's in trouble; I heard someone threaten to kill him."

"Yuya's on the other side?" Asuka wondered. "You sure?"

"I'm going to check."

Serena rose from the steamy waters. She placed her fingers between the cracks of bamboo, then pressed her feet agains the base of the wall.

"What are you doing?" Asuka snapped. "Just yell and he'll hear you!"

"I can't do that!" Serena snapped back. "If he knows I'm here, he'll just think I'm stalking him."

"Why would he think that?"

Serena didn't answer. It was too embarrassing to say. Instead, she made her way up the bamboo. Her hands dug deep into the wall, trying not to let her soaking body cause her to slip.

The wall peaked about a foot or two from the ceiling. So once Serena managed to climb to the top of the spring, she was able to peer over the edge, and look to the boys' side.

* * *

"Oh yeah, the Lancers _had_ to be trained hard," Yuya explained. "Reiji made us go undercover at a cafe, learn how to ride and maintain bikes, become detectives, start a band, explore trap-filled ruins, go into outer space... pose in front of a wall."

"You're kidding, right?" Sora chuckled. "... Wait, _really_?"

"I'll be playing at Sawatri's Quinceanera."

Sora's jaw dropped. "Now you're making me regret not siding with you guys earlier!"

"I really _was_ kidding, though!" Yuya laughed. "We only did stuff like that for a promotional video. You know, for the Lancer program? Reiji wanted to make the job look more fun for potential recruits."

The two both had to laugh at that one. Sora nearly dropped his chocolate bar into the water.

But then, Sora's ears twitched. He heard something. He stopped his laugh and lifted his head up, toward the ceiling.

Serena was peering down at them.

Sora let out a scream. This time, he actually _did_ drop his chocolate bar into the water. But he quickly scooped it up in hia hand, and chucked it right at Serena.

The chocolate smacked right into Serena's head, and the shock and force was enough to knock Serena off of the wall. She slipped from her perch and crashed into the water, and on Asuka.

The boys could only hear the impact, and a scream. Yuya just looked to Sora for answers on what the heck even happened.

"What the heck even happened?" Yuya asked.

"Your girlfriend was spying on us!" Sora cried.

Yuya sighed. "Which one?"

"Apparently, the pervert."

"That doesn't narrow it down."

But then, a sharp scream interrupted them. It was a high-pitched, feminine voice.

 _"What is that thing?!"_ Asuka screamed. _"Is that a turd?"_

Sora and Yuya looked to each other. They couldn't help but burst out laughing.

* * *

 _ **Next time: Yuri and Serena reminisce about their lives and Academia.**_


	36. Class 4: Nepeta Cataria

_**Fun Fact: Yuzu is cautiously optimistic about the existence of skunk apes.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: While skipping class, Serena runs into Yuri.**_

* * *

"Glory on Duel Academia!" shouted their teacher.

"Glory on the Academia!" few students returned. They all seemed to have creepy smiles and dull eyes.

The other students in the classroom, those who had been there longer than those freshmen, didn't bother to salute. The enchantment of a school for dueling had long since faded. They were just hoping for class to end for the day, so they could finally be free.

Serena was one of those disenchanted students. She sat in her chair and rested her head on her hand, and her elbow on the table. Her eyes were also dull, but only because she was so bored with class.

The school was still her home, even after everything that had happened. It was her prison, but it was also where she grew up, and where she learned about the game she loved. The school was harsh in training, but it was also more fun, and had less classes.

She guessed that she couldn't complain, though; the students still worked to get glory, albeit as professional duelists. People were more free to form connections with others, and the pressure to do well was less extreme. The school was more nurturing and caring.

Really, it wasn't the same school as it once was. All of her old experience and education meant nothing here. And because of this, Serena felt like a stranger in a familiar land.

Some things didn't change, though; their lesson of the day was an introduction to the school's history, and they were learning about how the Fusion Dimension won the Dimensional War. They supposedly conquered all the other, violent dimensions, then created eternal peace. All while being fun and having a good time.

And after spending an insurmountably long time listening to this crap, Serena rose her hand and asked to be excused.

"Excuse me?" the teacher, Professor Satou asked. "Serena, right? This lesson isn't something you can afford to miss; it will be the basis of the entire class."

Serena looked down at her yellow school blazer, then back to the teacher. "Yeah, I _can_ afford to miss it."

"And why is that?"

"Because I fought in the war," Serena responded. "I was a Lancer; I probably know more about the war than you."

Aside from the naive freshmen, all the students in the class laughed. Satou, however, looked very exhausted and frustrated.

"You can go, miss Hiiragi," the man groaned. "... Go right to the Chancellor's office, to explain why you're getting a detention."

A few students snickered, but Serena didn't care. She immediately rose from her seat, walked out of her row, and immediately headed out the door.

Like hell she was going to the office, though. Instead, Serena decided to ditch her class and seek out something familiar.

Serena walked down the hall, down a flight of stairs, and down another hall. And then she took a left, down another hall. She continued her journey until she headed to the school's garden.

Duel Academia's garden was a small, open enclosure. It was surrounded by buildings, but it was still out in the open. Students would often come and sit on the benches during their free time. At least, the students who did well could; students who did poorly were often punished severely.

* * *

As she stepped into the garden, she noted how empty it seemed. No students or faculty seemed to be there. But as her eyes were drawn to the birch tree in the center of the garden, she realized that there was _one_ person with her.

Serena saw Yuya, arms folded, staring up at the tree. His regular school uniform/cape was replaced with Duel Academia's Obelisk Blue jacket. Somehow, it was also standing up like a cape.

Welp, this was awkward. But before she could turn around and make a getaway, the boy turned around to look at her.

"Yuya?" Serena asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Yuri," the boy corrected. "Hello, Sabrina."

"Serena."

"Yeah, 'kay," Yuri scoffed. "I didn't have my text book, so my teacher sent me out to get one from the supply room. Naturally, I took the opportunity to ditch class and hang out here."

"Why didn't you have your book?"

"I threw it at a passing bird this morning."

Yuri turned his gaze back to the tree. He ran a hand down the bark, sensually letting his fingers dance on the wood. Much to Serena's displeasure.

"You've been here before, right?" Yuri asked. "Doesn't Academia seem different? It's so boring now."

Serena nodded. "It's not the same school as it once was. But I suppose that's a good thing."

"A _good_ thing?" Yuri chuckled. "Back then, I had the freedom to do as I please."

"But you had freedom. I didn't."

Serena walked towards Yuri. She passed him, moving around to the side of the tree. When she had Yuri's attention, she pointed to a small indentation on the tree.

It looked like claw marks, dug deep into the tree's bark.

"See those scratches?" Serena asked.

"Oh, the cat claws!" Yuri exclaimed. "Rumor had it that a student went crazy and clawed the tree, because they were such a stupid fucking loser that thought they could get rare cards from underneath the wood. God, could you imagine someone being _that_ dense? Even Fusion's not that stupid."

Serena frowned. "I made those."

"I know."

Serena growled. "... A student told me about cats. I'd never seen one in person before, but they sounded amazing. They were fast, sneaky, predatory. And unlike dogs, they couldn't be trained to obey or do tricks."

"So you clawed the tree, like some sort of scratching post?"

"No, you idiot!" Serena snapped. "I used a knife I stole from the kitchen. How's a person going to leave these gashes?"

"Why would a person stab a tree?"

Serena paused for a moment. Then she said, "It was a way to get out my anger; whenever I was upset, I'd come and hurt something. Like a cat who scratches at a person they don't like."

Yuri was going to make a smart remark, but it didn't seem wise to say something then. But he could understand what Serena was talking about, so he gave her a polite nod to continue.

"Whenever I looked at these marks, I remembered how I felt when I made them. Trapped, angry, alone. And I wanted the marks to show people how I felt."

"Deep."

"So as bored as I am here, I just need to look at these marks to know how bad things used to be."

"Academia wasn't perfect for me either," Yuri grumbled. "I didn't have friends, or people who cared about me. But I'd take all that over this dull, everyday life we have now. I miss the Professor sending me on missions."

"Our childhood was robbed from us, Yuri," Serena told him. "What the Professor did was wrong."

Yuri sighed. "At least it was fun... But I understand what you mean about feeling trapped and alone."

Serena stared at Yuri's face. His eyes still held that sinister glare to them. How truthful he was, she wasn't sure. But he at least seemed unbothered, judging by his egao. Was that meant to but her at ease, or do the opposite? Serena had no freaking idea.

"It's nice, having someone who understands things," Yuri said to her.

Serena let out a small gasp. She raised an eyebrow and studied his face for some sort of tell.

Yuri went on, "Yuya tries to be my friend, but he just turns his back on me whenever I criticize Yusho. Yuto won't even talk to me. Fusion talks to me, but I don't think he trusts me, either."

"I can see why," Serena admitted. "You've given people every reason not to trust you."

Yuri frowned. His face became more bitter and angry.

"Tell me something, Serena," he said defensively. "We're talking right now, having a moment, getting to know each other. Would _you_ trust me now?"

Serena paused. The question completely caught her off-guard. She had to think of an answer, because nothing jumped out at her right away.

She wasn't sure if this was a genuine question. His unhappy face suggested that he was being sincere. But the fact that she even had to question his actions made her doubt him.

The silence between them grew, and so did the tension between them. Yuri seemed more and more displeased as time flew by.

Yuri eventually broke the silence. "Whatever, it was a hypothetical. Like I _actually_ care what a Ra Yellow thinks!"

He flashed her an egao, then turned towards the exit.

"Wait! Yuri!" Serena called out.

Yuri turned to look back at her. Now his face read mild annoyance.

"Maybe you're not so..." she hesitated to answer. "... I can say that I understand what it's like to be an outsider, too. Things haven't been the best between me and the other girls."

"Oh?" Yuri said, amused. "Is it because you tried to steal Yuzu's boy? Or because you hit Yugo?"

"... _Both_."

Yuri chuckled. "You deserve it, then."

But then, he turned his whole body around. A big egao grew on his face. "But let's face it: we're both huge screw-ups, aren't we?"

"Right?" Serena said ruefully. "I get it. I'm not as messed up a mess as you are, but I get it."

"The cat has claws!" Yuri exclaimed. "But it serves me right for trying to help Yuya realize that he deserves a better dad."

"What exactly happened between you and Yuya, anyway?"

"Yuya was looking forward to spending time with Daddy all day. Daddy cancels, breaks Yuya's heart. I tell try to point out how Yuya got a raw deal, and Yuri throws a bitch-fit because he has a mega-boner for dear old Egao Daddy."

"Did you use the words 'Egao Daddy' when you were talking to him?"

"I didn't think of that nickname until, like, the day after," Yuri replied.

"That sucks," said Serena. "The- the fighting-with-Yuya part, not the nickname part."

"I guess I deserved what I got, for daring to care about someone."

Serena folded her arms and leaned against the tree. She let a long, frustrated sigh, then slowly slid into a sitting position.

She looked up at Yuri. "Caring about sucks sometimes, Yuri. It sucks, and you get hurt, and then you have to deal with it.."

"See, what's what I miss most about the old Academia; I didn't have to care about people. I could just intimidate everyone, and card anyone I didn't like. Things were much more simple, and fun."

Yuri let out a small sigh, then continued, "I wish I could stop caring about people. My 'brothers' don't deserve my valuable time and effort."

Serena couldn't help but egao at that line. "Your time's not that valuable, Yuri. So I don't think you're wasting much of anything."

Yuri chuckled softly at that one. Serena couldn't help but egao a little more at his awkward, creepy little laugh.

"You're an asshole, Serena," Yuri said to her. "And that is just the kind of person I want to waste my valuable time on. But just for the afternoon; I can't dedicate my focus to just one peasant. That would destroy the hearts of my many lonely, unwashed fans."

"Don't do me any favors, Yuri," Serena responded. "But I guess it beats going to class."

"I was going to chuck rocks at some squirrels. You should come with me."

"As horrible as that sounds, I think I'd rather go get some lunch at the dining hall. _Your treat_."

Yuri frowned. "You greedy bitch... I'll buy your meal if you buy mine."

"Deal."

* * *

 _ **A/N: This fanfic is only about halfway done, so we have a shitton more to cover. That's why I've been streamlining the Class chapters to keep them shorter. This way, I can get chapters out quicker, and keep the story moving. But what do you guys think? Do you prefer longer chapters that come out a little later? Or do you like the short, quick bursts I've been doing lately?**_

 _ **Next time: Serena faces off against a bully who can bring down the thunder.**_


	37. Class 5: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

_**Fun Fact: Serena doesn't know what a skunk ape is, and she doesn't care.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: For the good of a Slifer Red, Serena faces off against a bully from Obelisk Blue.**_

* * *

Together, Yuri and Serena walked through the half of Academia. Their goal was simple: reach the dining hall, have a quiet lunch while everyone was in class, and... Well, they didn't think of their plan beyond that point, so they would probably just play it by ear and see where things take them.

As they passed by a hallway, they could hear a soft bang. Something was slammed into one of the stone walls. This was followed by the sound of someone whimpering.

Yuri and Serena stopped in their tracks. They peered down the long corridor to see four humanoid figures.

"Sounds like fun," Yuri said to Serena. "let's go check it out."

The two walked down the hallway. And as they moved towards the people, they could clearly see the situation at hand: a panicked male Red student was pressed against the wall by a boy in Blue. Two other Blue students were standing behind him, chuckling and complimenting their boss.

"Sorry, kid," the main Blue said. "Freshmen Reds need to be hazed. It's just how things work."

"B-but you're a freshmen, too..." the Red wheezed. "I saw you at the-"

"I'm a transfer student!" the boy responded. "I'm from North Academy. I have the experience, but you don't."

"He has experience, alright!" said a blue-haired Blue boy. "How can you not know about Manjome Thunder?"

"Oh, I heard about him!" Yuri exclaimed.

The four kids stopped to look at the newcomers. Yuri and Serena approached them. Yuri looked smug, while Serena crossed her arms and looked serious.

"That's the self-professed _'king'_ of Obelisk Blue," Yuri went on. "He's supposedly the strongest student in school. After me, of course."

"And who are you?" Manjome scoffed. "I see you're in Obelisk Blue, too. But I don't recognize you."

"He's probably just another transfer," the brown-haired one stated. "But if he was any good, how come we never heard of him."

"Oh, I'm not a transfer," Yuri said sweetly. "Well, you could say that I'm three-fourths of a transfer student."

The four of them looked lost and confused by this statement.

"Surely you heard of Yuri."

The Red student gasped. He started to flail pathetically, trying to break Manjome's hold on him. Now that he knew who this boy was, he was desperately trying to escape the scene.

Manjome scoffed. "That psycho kid? Yeah, I doubt a pipsqueak like you would be Yuri."

Yuri rolled his eyes. "Curse being trapped in an inferior body."

"Now if you two don't mind, we need to get back to hazing."

Manjome pulled the kid from the wall, then slammed him against it even harder. The freshmen's head bounced off of the wall, causing him to scream out in pain.

That was when Serena decided to put a stop to this. She ran over and grabbed hold of Manjome's blazer. She forcefully started to pull on him, trying to loosen him up from the other student.

"Stop it, you ass!" she barked.

Manjome let go of the student, then pulled himself out of Serena's grasp. He looked down at her with cruel, cold eyes. "What do you think you're doing, Yellow?"

"Stopping you!" she responded.

"Don't you know?" Manjome scoffed. "The freshmen Reds get hazed every year! It's very fun."

"Of course it is!" Serena snapped. "But that doesn't mean it's right."

Manjome chuckled. His two friends also joined in the chuckle, even laughing in the same way as him.

"Who are you, a Yellow, to tell a Blue what's right? Might makes right, not being nice and friendly. Because this world is cutthroat; you need to be at the top, or you're trash."

"He's right," Yuri said. "He's a jerk, but he's right."

"I'm not a jerk!" Manjome responded. "I'm Manjome Thunder!"

 _"MANJOME THUNDER!"_ shouted both of his minions. _"MANJOME THUNDER!"_

"Oh dear God, it's another Sawatari," Serena groaned.

"But then again, how do we know he's on top?" Yuri wondered. "He doesn't look like he's anything impressive, and he hasn't dueled either of us."

The Blue duo stopped their chants. They and their boss glare daggers right at Yuri. The tension in the air was coming on thick, though Yuri just egao'd at them like it was no big deal to him.

"Red," Manjome said out loud. "Get a move on. We have more important fish to fry."

The Red student let out a small whimper. He gave Serena and Yuri a small nod, then took off in the opposite direction. Serena watched as he made his way down the hallway, then turned and moved out of sight. So now, he was safe.

But Serena and Yuri were left at the mercy of the three Blue students. Manjome stepped closer to the duo as he activated his Duel Disk.

"So, which one of you am I dueling first?"

"Me," said Serena.

Manjome smirked. "And why do you want to get your ass kicked so bad?"

Serena held her arm up, showing her now-activated Duel Disk. She and Yuri started to step back, creating distance between them and the Blues.

"Because I want to stop you," Serena responded. "I want to be the one who kicks your ass so hard, you'll never haze anyone again."

"You think you can take on the strongest student in school, girl?"

"It's Serena," she corrected. "And I won't be dueling myself."

 _"Ooooooh!"_ Yuri said.

"I don't want to see people get hurt," Serena continued. "And it just so happens that I'm strong enough to put a stop to it."

"Big words from a little girl," Manjome replied. "Let's see you back them up!"

 _ **"DUEL!"**_

* * *

"Since I'm of a higher class, I'll go first!" Manjome stated. "I activate the Spell, Polymerization!"

Three monsters from behind him, floating just above the boy's head. Ojamas Yellow, Black and Green levitated above their master, before being sucked into a vortex of orange and blue.

"Vile, disgusting, and strange creatures! Become the greatest of kings, and oppress the world with your will! Fusion Summon!"

From the vortex came a large gross creature. A giant, white Ojama with long eye-stalks, four tiny arms (one of which held a golden staff), and two stubby legs. Its large, sneering head made up the bulk of its body. It wore speedo underwear on its waist, and underneath its large crown. A blue cape flowed from behind it. **(DEF 3000)**

"Level 6! Neojama King!"

Yuri looked absolutely disgusted. He shuddered at the sight of such a disgusting monstrosity, and seemed to be struggling not to vomit.

"I think I understand how he wins all his duels," he said to Serena. "He makes the opponents want to quit, so they don't have to look at the one thing that's more unpleasant than him."

Serena couldn't help but snort at that, much to Manjome's annoyance.

"Why don't you two shut your faces?" he barked. "Neojama King's effect: when it's first Fusion Summoned, three of my opponent's Monster Zones can't be used!"

Serena looked at her Duel Disk: three red X's occupied the first three Zones. On the field itself, she could see three red X's on the ground before her.

The two Blue students started to clap for their boss. This was, of course, followed by more chants of "Man! Jo! Me! Thun! Der!" and throwing their fists into the air.

"Say my name!" Manjome shouted.

 _"MANJOME THUNDER!"_

"MANJOME THUNDER!"

"MANJOME THUNDER!" Yuri shouted out.

Manjome egao'd. "So you got the spirit, huh?"

"No, not at all," Yuri answered, egao-ing.

"... I set a card face-down, and end my turn."

Manjome Thunder ended his turn with Neojama King and a face-down Spell or Trap on his field, and no cards in his hand.

* * *

As Serena drew her sixth card, she let an egao cross her face. Manjome had used his entire hand to bring out his monster, and it was underwhelming. Yeah, she was going to run circles around this fool.

"Trap, activate!" Manjome declared. "Ojamania!"

His face-down card rose up from his Spell/trap Zone. The art depicted red, blue and purple-colored Ojama monsters, posing dramatically on a stage. The card itself shattered, and the Ojama trio now stood posing on the field.

The red and blue Ojamas floated over to Serena's side. They both blew her kisses, then crouched into fetal positions on her side of the field. Ojama Purple instead chose to stay on the other side of the field. **(DEF 1000) (DEF 1000) (DEF 1000)**

"When this card is activated, I can Special Summon 3 Ojama Tokens anywhere on the field, though at least one must be placed on my enemy's side," Manjome explained. "And now, I've blocked out your use of monsters!"

"Big deal," Serena responded. "I still have my Spells and Traps. I set two cards face-down."

Two set cards appeared on Serena's field, behind her Ojama Tokens.

"That supposed to scare me?" Manjoume said with a sneer.

"No, but feel free to cry and surrender."

"You talk big, but I don't see you backing it up. I've taken control of your Monster Zones, and you just set some cards."

"Look who's talking, Serena!" Yuri responded.

"What's that supposed to mean, kid?"

Yuri turned to Serena. "That guy's such a blow-hard. He's a terrible duelist with terrible cards, so he's compensating with speeches. But unfortunately, he's also terrible at those. It would be heart-breaking, if he wasn't responsible for unleashing such a disgusting creature onto the field."

"Hey, his parents are responsible for the same thing," Serena replied, egao-ing.

Both of Manjome's minions let out surprised gasps. Horror was caught on their faces. Manjome's eyes grew wide, and pure anger ran through them. His unbridled fury ran through the glares he gave Serena and Yuri.

"That was hilarious, Serena!" Yuri said sweetly.

"What can I say?" Serena said casually. "If he can dish it out, he better know how to take it."

"It's even funnier when you realize he's an orphan."

"... What?"

Serena's egao dropped. She looked at Manjome in absolute horror. Now she was feeling the burn from his gaze. And frankly, it was starting to make her sweat.

Yuri, however, just kept on egao-ing.

* * *

Manjome drew a card. His eyes briefly glanced at what he drew, before returning to staring daggers at Serena and Yuri.

"I summon Ojama Purple."

He placed a car on his blade, and a purple Ojama materialized between Neojama King and the Ojama Token. It had an enormous nose, taking up most of its face. It had tiny, beady black eyes, and spindly little limbs. It seemed to be struggling to stand under the weight of its nose. **(ATK 0)**

"I can tribute Ojama Purple to add a _Fusion_ Spell card from my Deck to my hand.

And then, just as soon as it appeared, Ojama Purple was gone again. It let out a scream and shattered, and its owner drew a card from his Deck.

"Now, I can get behind this strategy, Serena," Yuri stated. "Sacrificing those ugly beasts for your own gain."

"Shut your face, kid!" Manjome roared. "This isn't your fight! SHUT! UP!"

"SHUT! UP!" the cronies added.

"I activate Fusion Recovery!" Manjome said angrily. "I can add Polymerization, and a monster used as material for a Fusion Summon, from my Grave to my hand!"

Two cards were ejected out from Manjome's Graveyard. He snatched the cards and flashed them to Serena: Polymerization, and Ojama Yellow.

"With Polymerization, I fuse my Ojama Token and my Ojama Yellow!" he screamed.

Yellow and the Token monsters from from behind him, floating just above the boy's head. Their bodies contorted and merged as they fell into the orange-and-blue portal behind them.

"Vile, disgusting, and strange creatures! Become the all-knowing hand of the king! Fusion Summon!"

A creature now appeared by Ojama King's side. It was an Ojama Black, wearing flowing white robes and a tall, white papal hat. It sneered at the enemy and stuck out its long, dripping tongue.

"Level 5! Neojama Bishop!" **(DEF 2400)**

"I can see why he's a Blue," Yuri mused. "Very few people have the talent to bring out such crappy cards in succession. And I use the word _talent_ loosely, but..."

"Neojama Bishop's effect!" Manjome shouted. "When Special Summoned, two of my opponent's Monster Zones can't be used!"

Serena looked back down at her Duel Disk: two red X's occupied the first two Zones. On the field itself, she could see those red X's on the field.

"I see your game," said Serena. "Block off as much of my field as possible. That's why you wanted to go first."

Manjome grinned. "You can't be a Blue if you're not cutthroat. And no, that's not my game, as you'll see soon."

Manjome ended his turn with 4000 Life Points and no cards in his hand. His Neojamas King and Bishop sat on his side of the field.

* * *

Serena looked at the card she drew. To her relief, it was the perfect card to get her strategy rolling. All she needed was one free Monster Zone.

"I tribute one of my Ojama Tokens to Tribute Summon Lunalight Wolf!"

Serena moved her hand to the Disk's blade. To her surprise, as soon as she touched the token's card, her Duel Disk started to buzz.

 _"ERROR. ERROR"_

"What the-?"

"Ojama Tokens cannot be tributed," Manjome explained to her. "Did you think Manjome Thunder would ever let it be that easy?"

 _"MAN! JO! ME! THUN! DER!"_

Serena grunted. She stared down her field, to the disgusting creatures that looked at her proudly. She looked back at her hand, trying in vain to piece some sort of strategy together. Sadly, nothing was coming up.

"I end my turn," she sighed.

"Boo," Yuri booed. "Booooooo."

* * *

Manjome slammed down the card he drew, onto his blade. "Upstart Goblin, Activate!"

The Spell Card appeared on the field. It featured a grinning goblin in elegant, regal clothing, dropping coins before a starved, destitute human.

"I can draw a card from my Deck, then you gain 1000 Life Points." **(Serena: 4000 → 5000)**

Manjome pulled the top card from his Deck. He then set it on his Spell/Trap Zone, face-down.

"I'll end my turn here. Be glad I've chosen to be merciful."

"You couldn't get anything good, because you spent all your resources," Serena said. "You blew your load to make this field, and now're paying the price."

"Make your move, Yellow."

"Gladly."

* * *

Serena drew a card. She now had 6 cards in her hand. On her field, she had two Ojama Tokens and two face-down Spells and/or Traps.

"... I end my turn."

Serena ended her turn with 6 cards in her hand. On her field, she had two Ojama Tokens and two face-down Spells and/or Traps. So the situation was exactly the same as it was when I last described it.

* * *

Manjome drew a card. He was about to place it when-

"Boo," Yuri booed. "Boo, Serena. Booooooo."

"Shut up, Yuri!" she barked.

"Show him your Entertainment Dueling."

"I'm trying!"

"Oh. Try harder then. Booo."

"I activate the Fi-" Manjome began.

"Booo."

"... The Field Spe-"

 _"Booo."_

"Yuri, shut up," Serena told him. "You're holding up the duel."

"Both of your shut up!" Manjome screamed. "I activate the FIeld Spell, Ojama Country!"

The second the Field Spell hit the blade, a glowing pulse of light poured over the floor. The floor of the hall became coated with sand. Small, mushroom-like buildings sprouted in various places on the ground, the walls, and even the ceiling. Windmills rose from between Manjome's friends, forcing them to dash backwards to dodge them.

"When I control an Ojama monster, the original ATK and DEF points of all monsters are switched. And now, I'll switch my monsters to Attack position"

 **(Ojama King DEF 3000 → ATK 3000) (Ojama Bishop DEF 2400 → ATK 2400) (Ojama Tokens DEF 1000 → 0)**

Serena looked at the field. Now, she was starting to piece together the big strategy Manjome had been working on: get his monsters powered up, and then go on the offensive. Too bad, though; once she had her Monster Zones freed, she planned on taking control of the duel from.

"Even after you little switch, I could easily destroy your field," Serena told him, egao-ing. "Maybe _you_ should be in Ra Yellow, and me in Blue."

Yuri ooooooooo'd, then threw two of his fists into the air and pumped it. Manjome looked to his friends, who knew to start chanting their boss's name in response. This lead to Yuri getting louder, and the duo trying to shout over him.

Now Manjome was shouting, "Neojama Bishop attacks your Ojama Token!"

The great bishop glided through the air, waving its staff wildly. Once it reached an Ojama Token, it smacked it hard in the face. **(Serena: 5000 → 4700)**

"How'd I take damage?" she asked.

"When Ojama Tokens are destroyed, you take 300 points of damage," Manjome explained. "Now face the wrath of the king!"

Neojama King waddled over to the field, each step it made making a wet squeak. It took the remaining Ojama Token into its arms and squeezed tight, shattering it. **(Serena: 4700 → 4400)**

When the smoke cleared, Serena was staring at her two now-empty Monster Zones. She egao'd, instantly seeing an opportunity for something great. Too bad the space wouldn't last.

"Trap, activate!" Manjome declared. "Ojamania!"

A familiar, ugly Trap reared its ugly head(s). Two hideous Ojama Tokens appeared on Serena's formerly-free Monster Zones, while another took its spot by the Bishops side. **(DEF 0)**

"So you're going for a slow burn, then?" Serena asked. "You can't keep that up forever - you'll run out of cards, or I'll draw something good.

"This match is just getting started," Manjome told her. "You can't bottle thunder."

Manjome ended his turn with his Neojama Bishop, Neojama King, Ojama Token, and Ojama Country on his field. He had no cards in his hand, and his Life Points were still at 4000.

* * *

Serena drew a card from the top of her Deck. Her eyes looked at it sadly. Unfortunately, Lunalight Crimson Fox wouldn't help in this situation.

She now had seven cards in her hand. And per the rules of the game, the max amount of cards she was allowed to have was 6. So she would have to play a card, or she'd have to discard one at the end of her turn.

Not helping was the fact that Manjome's goons keps cheering. Their obnoxious calls were very distracting for Serena. But at least Yuri was now quiet; he was glaring at her with a wicked little egao, patiently waiting for her to make a play.

"I'm going to place Scale 1 Lunalight Wolf in my Pendulum Zone," she explained.

A blue column of light rose to her right side. Her monster appeared at the base, before rising higher and higher. Not too high, though; Duel Academia's hallway ceilings weren't that high up.

Manjome raised an eyebrow. He seemed genuinely focused on the column of light before him. "Pendulum, eh? I suppose I can't block those Zones, though you can't Pendulum Summon, either."

"I'll end my turn here," she told him.

Serena sighed. Frankly, it was a bit of an embarrassment, not being able to do anything. Her opponent trapped him in a world of his own design; she was just there, waiting to be picked off when Manjome was ready.

Right now, all she could hope for was for him to get rid of her Tokens, so she could summon something. A little damage wouldn't hurt in the long run; especially when she would try and win the duel with one big maneuver.

* * *

Manjome sneered as he drew another card. He snapped his fingers, signalling for his two friends to get back to their chants and cheers. And they did, quite eagerly.

"Why does he have such a fandom?" Yuri wondered. "I mean, his cards are disgusting-"

"He's a great duelist!" the blue-haired friend countered.

"... his duels are slow as hell-"

"No one can beat him!" said the brown-haired one.

"And he has the charisma of a Fusion Parasite."

"MANJOME THUNDER!"

"You hear that, kid?" Manjome scoffed. "That's the sound of my adoring crowd. They know who to call when they want a good time."

Yuri shut up right there. Frankly, he was above going for such low-hanging fruit. And far be it from him to try and correct such eloquent words.

Serena was about to say something, but Yuri shook his head.

Manjome tapped his Ojama Token's card, then slid it into Attack position. The red Token grinned at its opponent and stared at her with hungry eyes. **(ATK 1000)**

"My Ojama Token and Neojama Bishop attack your Tokens!"

The two monsters floated over to Serena's side of the field. The bishop whacked one token, while the Ojama Token bit into another. After an uncomfortably awkward, long time of chewing on the Token's face, Serena's other Token shattered. **(Serena: 4400 → 4100 → 3800)**

"Neojama King, attack directly."

 _"No!"_

Everyone turned to the source of the screaming, even the monsters on the field. The shout came from Yuri, who was looking on with tears in his eyes.

"Don't touch Sabrina with that thing!" he sobbed. "Please! Spare her that disgusting monster's touch!"

"I won't show mercy for your girlfriend," Manjome responded, smug as ever. "My monster will attack-"

"I was talking about you," Yuri said with an egao.

Manjome's smug little egao turned right into a frown. Not helping were the surprised "ooooooooooooohs" coming from his own minions. But a quick glare in their direction shut the other two Blues right up.

Neojama King, meanwhile, wrapped Serena into its many arms. With a tight squeeze, Serena could feel the life being mashed out of her boy. **(Serena: 3800 → 1800)**

The monster let go and retreated to its side of the field. To her horror, she could see that the Ojama suffered a disturbingly big case of hungry butt. And it was right then that Serena fully agreed with Yuri on his utter disdain for the Ojama archetype.

"So you used up your Tokens," said Serena. "Unless you have an Ojamania in your hand, you've just sealed your own death warrant."

"No, I don't have an Ojamania in my hand," Manjome said to her. "But I _can_ activate Neojama King's effect!"

"What?!"

"One per turn, I can banish two Ojama monsters from my Graveyard to add an Ojama Spell or Trap from my Grave to my hand. I banish my Ojama Black and my Ojama Purple. _King's Consonance_!"

Neojama King knelt down, then threw his fists into the ground. He slowly raised them back up, revealing the two mentioned Ojamas; one in each hand. The monsters squirmed in their king's hands, trying to break free before the inevitable happened. But alas, its hands squeezed down on their heads, shattering the monsters.

A card was ejected from Manjome's Graveyard. He pulled the card up and set it in his Spell/Trap Zone.

"Now you understand my strategy?!" Manjome hollered. "I can keep controlling the field! Tokens let me have more Fusion Material! When I fuse, I block your field! When I use Tokens, I can keep you from summoning!"

"With the opponent unable to do anything to stop him..." Yuri added, "... he can recuperate from his costly summons."

"And you can keep bringing back the Tokens, so I won't be able to move on my turn," Serena concluded.

Manjome looked at her with a deranged, devilish look. "Exactly! This is what it's like when Thunder brings down the lightning! I'm an unstoppable force of nature!"

"MAN! JO! ME! THUN! DER! MANJOME THUNDER!"

Serena bit her lip. Unfortunately, this strategy had her good. She could completely understand why this boy was such a notable figure among the Obelisk Blues. He had her cornered so efficiently, and made it nearly impossible for her to come back from it.

 _Nearly impossible,_ she told herself. She wasn't going to stop trying to overcome this.

"With this, I end my turn," Manjome finished. "Make your next move quick; I don't have all day to watch you squirm."

Thunder Boy ended his turn with a Neojama King, Neojama Bishop, and an Ojama Token on his field, along with a set Ojamania. He had one card in his hand, and his Life Points were still at a pristine 4000.

* * *

Serena closed her eyes and held her hand on her Deck. She could hear her heart pumping in her ears. The pressure to draw a good card was too much for her. If she failed, she'd be humiliated, and the Blues would just continue their torment of others. She'd be letting that kid down.

"Ey, Sabrina," Yuri said.

Serena opened her eyes. "What do you want?"

"Stop being such a wuss and draw a damn card," he said flatly. "Where's the cat who wanted to fight anyone who tried to her?"

Serena took a deep, long sigh. The beating in her ears was still as strong as ever, but it was as if some sort of veil was pulled off of her heart.

He was right. What was she doing, worrying so much? She had a lot on the line, sure. But she wasn't going to cower with her tail between her legs. Least of all to the stupid Ojama kid.

"DRAW!"

Serena threw her hand up, pulling out the top card of her Deck. As she brought the card into her hand, her eyes lit up with joy. This card, this _one card_ was completely perfect for her.

"Trap, activate!" Manjome announced. "Ojamania Special Summons two Ojama Tokens to your field, and one on mine!"

Third verse, same as the first.

"I set a card face-down!" she announced. "And I end my turn."

With Serena's face-down, her field now consisted of three face-down Spells or Traps, and two Ojama Tokens in Defense position. With her hand at 6, her Life Points at 1800, and with her field entirely full or unusable, she was confident in her victory now.

* * *

Manjome looked at his opponent. Despite the name-calling, the bad blood, and the very one-sided duel, he still chose to give her a small egao.

"I have to hand it to you," he said calmly. "You stood up to me, even though you knew the risks. You're facing defeat, but you're not cracking."

"You're not too bad yourself," Serena responded.

"But it's time to end this. I activate the Spell, Yugojama!"

Manjome's two Ojama Tokens floated towards their master, then jumped into the swirling portal behing him. Their bodies swirled and merged together as the portal's light enveloped them.

"Fusion Summon! Level 5! Neojama Bishop!"

A creature now appeared by Ojama King's side. It was an Ojama Black, wearing flowing white robes and a tall, white papal hat. It sneered at the enemy and stuck out its long, dripping tongue. **(ATK 0 → 2400)**

"Shameful and disgusting," Yuri commented.

"Since all of your Zones are already filled, I guess I can't take control of any more," Manjome explained. "But I don't need to take any more control; I have the power to bring down the thunder! _MANJOME THUNDER!_ "

 _"MANJOME THUNDER!"_

"My Neojama Bishops attack your Ojama Tokens!"

The two bishops floated through the air, waving their staffs around. They approached the two Ojama Tokens, then bashed them in the heads. The two Tokens let out pained, terrified screams before their bodies were destroyed. **(Serena: 1800 → 1500 → 1200)**

Manjome egao'd. "Now, Neojama King-"

"Trap, activate!" Serena declared. "Lunalight Soul Dance!"

Serena's third face-down rose up. The art depicted Lunalights Black Sheep and White Rabbit, meeting on a hill at night. The two monsters held hands, their backs turned as they faced the full moon in the background.

"When one of my monsters is destroyed, I can Special Summon a Lunalight from my hand or Deck!"

The bottom card of Serena's deck was ejected. She snatched it up and placed it on her Disk's blade. Lunalight Blue Cat materialized on the field, crouching down and baring her claws. **(DEF 1200 → 1600)**

"Hmmph," Manjome scoffed. "So you'll avoid your loss this turn. But Neojama King will still attack."

The big king brought Blue Cat into its arms and hugged her. The smaller monster meowed in agony as it was slowly squeezed by four arms. Its soon body couldn't handle any more, and it was destroyed.

However, the shattered pieces of Blue Cat reformed on her Monster Zone. Now, Lunalight Kaleido Chick had replaced it. **(DEF 800 → 1400)**

"What the hell?" Manjome asked politely.

"When Blue Cat is destroyed, I can Special Summon another Lunalight monster from my Deck.

"That card won't stop me, though. It's not strong enough."

"My, he's dense!" Yuri giggled. "News flash, Sparky: now you can't occupy that Monster Zone with Ojama Tokens."

"That's right!" Serena said.

Manjome grunted. "... Fine, fine. Hopefully now, you can prove that this match wasn't a _total_ waste of my time, kid. Now, Neojama King's effect! _King's_ _Consonance!_ "

Neojama King knelt down, then threw two of his fists into the ground. each hand pulled up a panicking Ojama; the left one had Yellow, while the white held Green. The king's hands squeezed down on the two monsters' heads, destroying them.

And once again, Ojamania was ejected from the Graveyard. He set the card on his side of the field, behind his Neojama King.

"I'll end my turn here," he told Serena. "You better get ready to grovel for forgiveness when you lose, though."

Manjome ended the turn with two Neojama Bishops, a Neojama King, and a set Ojamania on his field. He had one card in his hand, and his Life Points were still the same as they have been throughout this entire duel.

* * *

As Serena drew a card, Yuri was shaking his fists excitedly. His wide-eyed, childish expression brought both fear and worry to everyone around him.

"Hurry up! Hurry up! Hurry up!"

"Watch this, Yuri!" Serena told him. "I'm going to win, and I'm not going to be gentle."

"Serena Thunder!"

 _"MANJOME THUNDER!"_ came the cries of Manjome's friends.

"Serena Thunder!" Yuri declared. "Wait..."

"MANJOME THUNDER!" Manjome shouted. "Trap Activate! Ojamania!"

"Wait..."

Three Ojama Tokens rose from the card. Ojama Tokens blue and purple immediately planted their butts on Manjome's side of the field, and the red cartwheeled onto Serena's last open Monster Zone. **(DEF 100 → 0)**

"My defenses are stronger now," Manjome explained. "Now, tell me how you plan on destroying five monsters at once?"

"Kaleido Chick's effect!" Serena declared. "By sending Lunalight Cat Dancer from my Extra Deck to my Graveyard, Kaleido Chick is treated as that monster."

Serena pulled up the first card in her Extra Deck, then dropped it in her Disk's Graveyard slot. The image of Lunalight Panther Dancer briefly appeared before Kaleido Chick, embracing the little monster in a hug, before dissolving into a light purple mist around it.

"Next, I play Polymerization! I fuse my Lunalight Kaleido Chick with the Lunalight Crimson Fox in my hand."

Kaleido Chick and Crimson Fox appeared behind her, staring menacingly at their enemy as the swirling vortex of blue and orange grew around them.

"The wise and wily predator! The beautiful, wild beast dancing under the moonlight! Swarm in the vortex of the moon's gravity and revive with a new power! Fusion Summon! Come forth, Lunalight Panther Dancer!"

A new creature backflipped out of the vortex and over Serena, landing on Kaleido Chick's old Monster Zone. Lunalight Panther Dancer stood tall and bared its sharp claws at the enemy. **(ATK 2800 → 2500)**

"You're in for it now, Manjome Thunder!" Serena exclaimed confidently. "I'm going to destroy everything you hold dear."

"Wait..." Yuri said again.

"What is it, Yuri?" Serena asked.

"I got it..."

"What? You got what?"

" _Thunder Pussy_."

"I activate Panther Dancer's effect: it can attack each monster my opponent controls, twice, but the first time they're attacked, they aren't destroyed."

Manjome raised an eyebrow. "So you can destroy by Bishops and free your Spell/Trap Zones up? Your best efforts still won't be good enough to beat me."

"Battle! Panther Dancer attacks one of your Ojama Tokens!"

Panther Dancer leapt across the field. It pounced on the blue Ojama Token, forcing it to the ground. Although this attack wasn't enough to destroy it, a claw to the face was.

"When Lunalight Panther Dancer destroys a monster, it gains 200 ATK until the end of the Battle Phase." **(ATK 2500 → 2700)**

The second Ojama Token was sweating now. It could feel Panther Dancer eyeing it. But as it tried to run to its master, it was jumped and clawed. Another scratch to its back was able to destroy it. **(ATK 2700 → 2900)**

"Panther Dancer, rip apart his Neojama Bishop!"

Both of the Bishops were sweating. They turned to each other and started to whimper, wondering which one of them would be destroyed. Just as they were about to hug each other one final time, Panther Dancer pounced on one and attacked. **(Manjome: 4000 → 3500)**

Panther Dancer sat on top of the panicking Bishop. The other Bishop desperately swung its staff in the air, trying to grab the enemy monster's attention. But Panther ignored it, instead opting to jam sharp claws into the second Ojama's face, destroying it. **(Manjome: 3500 → 3000) (ATK 2900 → 3100)**

"This girl's brutal," said one of the Blue boys.

"Again!" Serena called.

The second Bishop stopped waving its wand and started to run across the field. But Panther Dancer ran forward and ran its long nails through the monster's chest. **(Manjome: 3000 → 2300)**

Another nail through the head would spell the end of Neojama Bishop. The Blues watched in horror (and Yuri, with glee) as the attack pierced through the monster. The Bishop fell to the ground and shattered. **(Manjome: 2300 → 1600) (ATK 3100 → 3300)**

"Now for the king," Serena said.

"No..." Manjome muttered.

"... Yes!" Yuri exclaimed.

Neojama King let out a sharp yell. It held out his four arms in front of its torso, trying to avoid a direct hit. But a kick to the crown forced the monster to its knees. **(Manjome: 1600 → 1300)**

Neojama knelt on the ground, staring at its fallen crown. It shattered. Tears were falling from the king's eyes. It let out a sad, mournful sob for its accessory, before the neck attack shattered it, as well. **(Manjome: 1300 → 1000) (ATK 3300 → 3500)**

By now, all of the Red X's were cleared from Serena's side of the field. Manjome's oppressive influence was gone, and Serena was finally free to do as she pleased.

"I... I can still win this..." Manjome grunted. "On my next turn, I-"

 _"There won't be another turn!"_ Serena declared.

Manjome and his cronies all gasped. Yuri looked on with an excited egao on his face. Serena was sporting a proud, fierce egao of her own.

Serena pulled a card from her hand and presented it to everyone. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell, De-Fusion!"

Lunalight Panther Dancer's body started to wobble and contort. Its body was engulfed in a swirling light of blue and orange. The body split into two, smaller forms: Lunalights Kaleido Chick **(ATK 1400** **)** and Crimson Fox. **(ATK 1800)**

"No!" screamed the minions.

"Do it!" Yuri screamed excitedly.

"My monsters attack directly!" Serena announced. "Gotcha, Manjome!"

Manjome's hands grabbed the sides of his head. He could only watch and shout out, accusing Serena of cheating. Kaleido punched him in the forehead, knocking him to the ground. Crimson Fox finished him off by bringing its foot down on his stomach.

 **(Manjome: 1000 → 0)**

* * *

Manjome was on the floor, looking up at the ceiling. The mushroom houses were disappearing as the Solid Vision was shutting down. All that's left was him and his own failure.

Meanwhile, Serena and Yuri got together and started talking. Manjome could hear Yuri excitedly tell Serena how impressed he was with the fight.

"You were great, Thunder Pussy," Yuri told her.

"Don't call me that," Serena responded. "Don't ever call me that."

"Eh? But you earned the nickname! You utterly destroyed your opponent, _and_ you horribly mutilated all of those deformed Ojama monsters."

"It was pretty satisfying," she admitted.

Manjome held up his hand, waiting for his followers to help him up. But after a moment, he could see his friends walk on by and head towards Serena. They were flocking towards her, praising her for her utter skill and expertise.

Anger was running through Manjome's veins now. Those jerks saw him on the floor, but they didn't even help him?

"Hey, idiots!" he called out. "Aren't you going to help me?"

He could hear footsteps approach him. But to his surprise, it was Serena and Yuri who walked up to him. The duo stared down at him, with Yuri held out his hand to the other boy.

"What do you two want?" Manjome groaned. "I'm going to kick your ass in a rematch, kid! You just got lucky this time."

"Whatever," Serena scoffed. "I'll take you up on that rematch, if we both agree to play it cool."

Yuri nodded. "We're all great duelists; we should be treating each other with respect."

Manjome grumbled. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he had to agree with Yuri. Serena was skilled; she'd have to have been if she beat Manjome Thunder.

He held his hand in front of Yuri's, reaching out to grab his hand. But then Yuri pulled his hand away.

"Psyche!" Yuri said. "Like I'd help _you_!"

Yuri let out a long, howling cackle. After a second of hesitation and thought, Manjome's former friends joined in on the laughter. Manjome and Serena just looked on at them in absolute shock.

"That's not funny, Yuri!" Serena lied.

"I mean, it was pretty funny," said Asuka.

Asuka had appeared on the scene, walking down the hallway. A wicked grin on her face, she clapped for Serena as she moved closer. She stepped right on Manjome on her way over to Serena.

"Asuka?" Serena wondered.

"Th-the queen of Obelisk Blue..." Manjome said under his breath.

"I was looking for you, Serena," Asuka told her.

"What do you need?" Serena responded. "If this is about class, I'm not going back right now."

"No, it's not about that," Asuka responded. "I need you to come with me. The Chancellor wanted to talk to you about something. Alone."

Serena looked to Yuri. He just gave her a shrug.

"Alright, Asuka," Serena said. "Lead the way."

Asuka smiled. She turned her back to Serena and started walking down the hallway. Serena followed her, while the two Blue minions started talking to Yuri about something. Manjome was still on the floor, looking up at the ceiling.

Shame no one noticed the parasite in Asuka's ear.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Since legacy characters generally get a deck overhaul, I thought it would be good to give Manjome's deck one. I wanted it to stand out as a deck, so I built on the field-blocking strategy. The end result is an archetype that would be impractical and mediocre in real life, but very powerful in a fictional setting.**_

 **Manjome's a jerk in this fic. Unlike his GX counterpart, he never had the losses and experiences that would shape his character and movehim forward. He does use Ojamas, but they were a deck he had from he start. Hopefully now, he'll start the journey to improvement.**

 _ **Next time: Parasites!**_


	38. Class 6: Under Your Skin

_**Fun Fact: Serena doesn't know what a skunk ape even is.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: The Doktor returns to enact his latest plan. His mission: take control of Duel Academia.**_

* * *

Serena followed Asuka down another hallway. By now, they had been walking for a long time, and now they were entering an area of the school even Serena didn't recognize.

Asuka lead her down another flight of stairs, into a basement area of the school. She remained rather silent as they made their way through the next floor.

"I don't recognize this place," Serena said.. "Asuka?"

At the end of the floor was a big, metalic sliding door. It had a keypad by the side of it, suggesting that the room was under heavy security. And that kind of worried Serena.

"Hey, why are we here?" Serena asked gruffly.

Asuka pressed her free hand on the scanner by the door. The door slid to the side, allowing access to the laboratory inside.

"I thought we were going to the Chancellor's office?"

Serena pulled her hand away from Asuka's. But Asuka responded by quickly grabbing hold f her wrist. She pulled Serena in closer and forced her into a hug.

"Do you trust me?" Asuka whispered to her.

Serena blinked. "What?"

"The Chancellor is evil. I was asked to bring you in, but I'm not going to do that."

Serena pushed harder, putting some slight distance between her and Asuka. She looked up at Asuka's face, watching her smile back at her.

"I'm bringing you to someone who can help us," Asuka told her. "But we need to trust each other, and work together."

Serena nodded. "... Okay."

Asuka broke the hug, though still held onto Serena's wrist. Together, the duo walked into the depths of the Academia's secret laboratory.

The room was dark, lit only by all the large, cylindrical containers full of water. They lined the walls, and had their own lights built inside. Strange globs of goo floated in all of them; it was like being surrounded by an army of lava lamps.

At the end of the lab was a man, sitting in a chair with wheels. His backs turned to the girls, he kept typing on a keyboard in front of an enormous computer screen. The screen displayed windows and words, and a picture of something round and red.

Asuka decided to grab his attention. "I brought the girl."

"Who are you?" Serena asked the man. "Mind telling me what's going on?"

The man made a small chuckle. A distinctly creepy laugh that immediately rang alarms in Serena's head. She quickly turned herself around and tried to run, but Asuka still held onto her wrist.

She looked to Asuka and was about to say something. But before she could say anything, Asuka pulled Serena back and kneed her in the stomach.

Serena nearly buckled from the pain. Her free hand held her stomach, trying to somehow help ease the pain. But Asuka grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled both of her hands behind her back.

Asuka now held onto Serena's arms tight. Too tight - Serena was in a lot of pain, struggling with holds. She kept pushing her back against Asuka to try and force her off, but this just made the experience more painful.

The man's chair spun around, revealing him to the girls. It was the Doktor, staring back at them with a disturbing smile.

"Yuzu? Serena?" he asked. "Or is it Ruri, or Rin?"

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Serena barked. "Let me go, you freak!"

The man laughed again. He rose from his chair, then made his way over to the girls. He kept his eyes on Serena's face, not even blinking as he approached her.

"Did you miss me, my subject?" he asked. "Did you miss the bug in your brain?"

The Doktor stopped in front of her. His right hand grabbed hold of Serena's chin and squeezed. Serena tried to fight his hold, but his grip was surprisingly tight.

The man stared into her eyes. He still had that perverse little smile on his face, which seemed to be growing the more Serena resisted him.

"I'm sure you've been wondering what I've been up to since we last met."

Serena shook her head. "No, not at all. Literally never."

The man laughed again, then broke his hold on her.

"You were always a fighter, Serena," he said to her. "That's why you were my least favorite. But it made you fun to play with."

"Asuka!" Serena called out. "Snap out of it! Let me go!"

"Don't you know?" the man said happily. "The Fusion Parasite's control can't be broken so easily."

Serena tiled her head and looked up. She could see Asuka, smiling. She seemed completely unbothered by the parasite what had crawled into her head.

"Everyone was freed from their card prisons, including myself," the Doktor explained. "I was quite furious when I woke up. Imagine, the Professor turning his back on me after my years of loyal servitude!"

"I don't care!" Serena barked. "Just shut up and duel me!"

The Doktor looked down on her, smiling. "Oh, but I want you to hear my plan. I want you to understand how powerless you truly are."

Serena stopped her thrashing. Her eyes locked onto his face. She was silently hoping that her pure, raw anger would somehow translate as heat vision that would set his face on fire. Yeah, that was exactly what she was imagining right then: watching his face burn.

The Doktor continued, "Luckily, I was able to meet a like-minded individual. Someone who not only agreed with my research, but created a plan to let me experiment as I please."

Serena was still trying to set the Doktor on fire with her mind. The Doktor chose the girl's silence as a cue to continue talking.

"Our plan spans many months, you see," the Doktor said. "Though we had only been able to start our take-over in May, we had been working on this plan for a long time."

"It started with taking control of the head nurse, Emi Ayukawa," Asuka added. "From there, she was able to sneak them in and help them take over the security guards."

"Miss Ayukawa was essential for our plan, you see. About a week after new students arrive, they have medical examinations."

"... So you took over the freshmen during their medical exams!" Serena exclaimed. "Then why didn't you wait for my medical exam? I've only been here for a few days."

The doctor shook his head slowly. It seemed to be a bit of a regretful gesture, yet the man continued smiling on. "Reiji Akaba. We learned that he's planning on leaving tomorrow. If we let him slip-"

"Then he can call for reinforcements," Asuka finished. "But if we trap him here-"

"Then he could be brought down, and he'll provide us with all of his resources when we take him over."

The duo burst out into simultaneous cackles. And Serena stopped trying to set fires with her mind long enough to appreciate how good silence is. She kept on trying to break free of Asuka's hold, but the other girl was still not budging.

The duo stopped laughing, and the Doktor bowed to go face-to-face with Serena. He was uncomfortably close, to the point where Serena could smell his rotten breath.

"We're going to raise an army," he told her. "We're going to take over the Fusion Dimension and make it our own personal paradise."

" _I_ won't be a part of it!" Serena responded.

"That's the beautiful part, Serena: you don't have a choice. In fact, you're the key to all of this."

Serena blinked. "What?"

The Doktor rose up, then pulled up his coat sleeve and exposed his Duel Disk. He drew the top card of his deck- Fusion Parasite- and presented it to Serena.

"Yuya Sakaki is immune to the Fusion Parasites, making him the biggest threat to our plan. But he cares about _you_. And we're going to use you as our bargaining chip, or even to set up a trap."

"You're insane!" Serena barked.

The Doktor stepped back and chuckled once again. Serena was really getting sick of hearing that smug, annoying laugh of his.

He activated his Duel Disk, then placed his card on the blade. Serena could see a small Fusion Parasite materialize on her shoulder. Its body started to grow smaller and smaller, before it was nearly invisible to the naked eye.

She could feel it hop into her ear. It was a small, tiny thing that buzzed in her ear. And a small, stabbing pain could be felt in her ear drum.

"Do you remember this?" the Doktor asked her. "This is just like the last time you were taken by me."

Serena winced. She could almost feel the creature make a tiny cut in her eardrum. But she could definitely feel the creature burrow through the hole it had created.

"Stop! _Stop!_ " she screamed.

"Come, be united with the parasite family!" the Doktor announced. "Come into the embrace of our queen! Serve her, in all her magnificence!"

Serena's eyes were starting to water. She could no longer feel the creature inside of her head. But she knew it was there, making its way to her brain. Soon, she would lose herself to this monster inside of her, and become a puppet once more.

She started to scream for help. She was screaming as loud as she good, begging for help. For someone, _anyone_ to hear her cries and intervene. The Doktor just stood by and watched, smiling.

"Stop!" she wheezed. Screaming so much had started to make her throat sore, and her voice scratchy. But she continued screaming. She continued flailing. She kicked at the air in front of her, trying to to wrestle herself out of Asuka's hold. She knew it wasn't doing her any good, but it was the only thing she could do now.

After a what felt like forever, the Doktor looked down at his Duel Disk. He lifted the Fusion Parasite card from his blade, then presented it to Serena.

"Miss Tenjoin, let her go," he commanded. "Serena, be calm and silent."

Asuka released Serena from her hold. Serena stood still and lowered her head. She was completely quiet. The only movements she made came from her very slow, very heavy breathing.

"Good girl," the Doktor said to her. "Now, how about I introduce you to my partner?"

The Doktor turned himself around, then walked back to his seat. He dropped himself into his chair, then swiveled around to face the computer screen.

For a moment, nothing. He stayed still looking down at something. An uneasy silence filled the room, as Serena waited to hear him speak.

"... Serena," he said finally. "My Duel Disk says that the Fusion Parasite in your brain is not responding to orders. In fact, I can't get any read-"

He heard the sound of an impact. He quickly turned around to survey the scene, only to find Asuka on the floor. She was clutching at her chest and seething in pain.

Serena looked at the Doktor. Tears were in her eyes, and she was dripping in sweat. But she had a defiant egao plastered on her face. She stuck up a certain finger at him, then took off running.

The Doktor wasn't smiling anymore. He returned to his keyboard and pressed a few buttons. But unfortunately, he could hear Serena's footsteps as she left the scene, before the doors could close and trap her inside.

He turned back to look at Asuka. And with a heavy sigh, he lifted up the Fusion Parasite card in his hand.

"Ignore your wounds," he told her. "You're going to go after her immediately."

"Yes, master," Asuka grumbled.

She lifted herself onto her knees, then forcibly made herself stand up. One hand still clutched the left side of her chest, shielding the bruise Serena had given her. Asuka gave the Doktor a nod, then made her way towards the exit.

The Doktor turned to the large computer screen behind him. After tapping a single key on the keyboard, the screen lit up and displayed the back of his partner's head.

"It looks like the girl has escaped," the Doktor told her. "Shall I unleash the freshmen?"

His partner turned around to face him. His steely green eyes looked right through the Doktor, and a devious smile crept up on his face.

"Yes, that would be best," Jean-Michel responded. "You can activate Sector Q an give me the reigns. I'll bring the girl to you."

The Doktor nodded and smiled. "And once she's in our control, it's checkmate for us."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Don't worry, answers will be coming. The fun has only just begun.**_

 _ **Next time: The Lancers mobilize against their enemies. With almost everyone turned against them, can they succeed in saving Duel Academia?**_


	39. Class 7: King's Pawn Game

_**A/N: Wow. I sure took an unexplained leave of absence from writing. And right in the middle of an arc, too! If this story wasn't complete and total trash, you'd probably be pissed.**_

 _ **Please forgive me for being a little rusty. It takes a while to get back into the mode, you know?**_

 _ **Fun Fact: Yuri and Ruri want a skunk ape as a pet.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: Jean-Michel and the Doktor put their plan into action, and the Lancers prepare to fight against them.**_

* * *

Jean-Michel Roget had fallen in the space between dimensions, along with Jack, Reiji, and many of the Lancers. The rest fell through a portal to God knows where. Jean went down with his ship, but he had taken down his enemies.

At least, until Reiji was able to save them. The Lancers used their Disks to teleport themselves and their comrades to another Dimension, leaving Jean at the mercy of his own scheme.

The funny this, Jean-Michel's plan had failed. Instead of falling into nothingness, he and his building were teleported to another dimension. It was the one time where a plan backfiring was a blessing for him.

Jean-Michel stayed in that dimension for a while. Although people were generally not receptive to a stranger and his strange building, he was able to find people who opened their arms to him. And in exchange for his knowledge on dimensional travel technology, they awarded him with quite a bit of money. The money, of course, would be used to finance his next adventure.

He returned to the Fusion Dimension shortly after Academia's fall. He was able to get into contact with one of his old associates. And from there, they were able to formulate a plan and set their plans into motion.

For a long time, he and the Doktor had been manipulating the medical staff to help implant Fusion Parasites into students. Freshmen, and anyone who came to the infirmary, were infected. Though they were usually inactive, they could have their Fusion Parasites activated at any time. Within a moment, these sleeper agents could wake up and serve them.

Security was infected, one by one, until they were all obedient slaves. They allowed Jean to take over the security room, giving him access to the cameras and security system. And with him in the school's brain, he was able to observe everything within his domain.

Of course, the Lancers just _had_ to show up and ruin their take-over. Once more, four of them were planning to stay the entire summer - including the one child who was immune to the Fusion Parasite. He wanted to take them over, but he needed to be patient, and bide his time.

But maybe it was a blessing in disguise. He could take over some of the people who posed the biggest threat to him. _Including_ Reiji, his arch-nemesis. Just have them all go in for an examination and

But Reiji leaving put a wrench in his plan. The fact that he was leaving so suddenly made Jean worry that the boy suspected something. And if he suspected something, it was too dangerous to let him slip through his fingers. Which is why he and the Doktor initiated the King's Pawn Game.

Now was not the time to worry about Reiji. Now, Jean-Michel was in the security room, watching Serena as she ran from hall to hall, passing camera to camera. She could run but, try as she might, she couldn't hide from his watchful eyes.

He heard a small _ping_ on his Duel Disk. A sign that the sleeper agents were now ready for commands. Sector Q, students with free periods at this time, would be reached. He would tell them to roam the halls and begin searching for Serena or the Lancers.

Jean-Michel smiled as he texted the students his commands. His little pawns would be going after his queen. He had eyes and ears all over the school, granting him total omniscience. His enemies had no way of escaping him, and they would soon fall under his lead. Victory was finally in sight, and it was delicious.

* * *

Serena didn't know where she was anymore. Even here, at the school she grew up in, she was lost. She had been running so much, without any destination in mind. The only thing on her mind was escaping to warn the others.

She could hear the sound of footsteps. People were chasing after her. She didn't try to look back and see them, because she was too focused on going forward. Or was it because she was afraid to look back?

She was running, always running. How long had it been now? As she went down a hall, she could hear people coming around the corner, ahead of her. They were going to box her in.

Luckily, she was able to jump out of a window, land in a tree, and jump through a window to the next floor down.

And even then, when she tumbled back into the school, she knew the didn't have time to stop. A few kids immediately walked towards her. Not taking any risks, she took off yet again.

But after running for so long, Serena couldn't help but stop for a moment. When she was sure that she lost her pursuers, she ran into a room and locked the door. She made her way towards the windows to the outside world and closed them, making sure to completely seal herself in.

Now that she had her peace, she was able to take in her surroundings. She was in a classroom, though it seemed to be empty. The class was either having their lessons somewhere else that day, or they were the ones who were chasing her. Either way, she hoped that they weren't captured by the Doktor.

Okay, so she was alone, and she was (moderately) safe. Now that she had time to think, she was able to formulate an idea on what to to.

Serena sat underneath the window and looked to her Duel Disk. She looked up her phone contacts and pressed the name of the person she wanted to call.

* * *

Yuya's Duel Disk let out a ring. He lifted his arm and brought the screen closer to his face. He swiped he accept button, which revealed Serena.

Serena was sweating and panting. She looked extremely ragged, and she was having a bit of trouble keeping her screen from shaking. Yuya could tell that she wasn't in a very happy position right now.

"Serena?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"Y-Yuya," she responded. "Asuka lead me to the Doktor. He's trying to control the school."

Yuya nodded solemnly. "Where are you? I'll go get you right now."

 _"EEY!"_ came Sawatari's voice. _"How do we know she's not brainwashed?"_

Yuya pushed his screen back, revealing that Sawatari and Gongenzaka were behind him. Both of them had Ra Yellow blazers. They seemed to be in a room that was oddly familiar to Serena; it had a large machine in the back, which was glowing green.

"Where are you guys?" Serena responded. "Wherever you are, stay there; don't let yourselves get caught."

Yuya brought the sreen closer to his face again. "I'm not going to leave you. I'll come and-"

"No, we can't," said Reiji.

Yuya shifted the screen to show Serena everyone in the room. Leo and Reiji were hunched over the machine, staring at small computer screens in front of them. Sawatari, Gongenzaka were looking back at Serena with a bit of unease.

"Sawatari's right," Reiji continued. "We can't risk a trap right now. We can save her when we deactivate the Solid Vision."

"What are you guys up to?" Serena asked.

Yuya brought the screen back to himself. "After you left with Asuka, Yuri made me take over and go back to class. But by the time I got there, most of the class had left."

"They were activated by the Doktor," Gongenzaka called out. "Sawatari and I were left in the classroom, and Reiji got us shortly after."

"Leo was able to recognize the signs of possession on some of the students, so we gathered the Lancers we could find. But you and Sora are still out there..."

"Don't worry about me," Serena responded. "I'm... I'm immune to the mind control now."

"Sounds like something a brainwashed kid would say!" shouted Sawatari.

"Shut up! ... But yeah, I'll be fine, so long as I hide out. Just work on finding a way out."

Yuya egao'd, then tapped his right ear. "We're already on it!"

Yuya turned his head to the left, showing his right ear. A small, metal earplug was inserted in the canal, and it was emitting a small, flashing yellow light.

"The Professor had some earplugs to block out the Parasites," Yuya explained. "The Fusion Parasites can't breath through them, and it emits a small signal that disrupts them if they try and touch it."

"I couldn't work with the Doktor without having my own form of protection," said the Professor. "My headpiece is similar to it. Unfortunately, they're of a limited supply."

"But we have a pair left over, so we can give them to Serena!" Yuya offered.

"Yuya, we don't have time for this," Reiji said coldly. "We're all going to take part in a plan, and we won't have time to spend searching for Serena. And if she's luring us into a trap, then we'll be at a bigger disadvantage."

A silence fell over the room. Serena let out a small, frustrated sigh in response. Admittedly, the fact that she was suspect to them stung a little. She completely understood why, of course. And she agreed that it was for the best.

But it felt like she was more alone than ever now. No side trusted her. And being able to hide in this room was the best thing she had going for her now.

Amidst her sulking, she hard Yuya say something.

"Hey. I trust you, Serena."

Serena blinked and looked back at the screen. Yuya was giving her a soft, comforting egao.

"I can just _tell_ it's you," he told her.

Serena egao'd. "Yuya."

"We're going to go over our plans and move out. Just sit tight and keep yourself safe. If I run into you, I'll save you."

"Thank you."

The two exchanged nods, and Serena tapped a red button at the bottom of the screen, ending the call. She still sat underneath a window of the room. She was sitting in darkness, listening to the sound of hurried footsteps just outside. Her hand hovered over her Duel Disk, keeping it at the ready should she need to fight.

* * *

The three Lancers stood before the Akaba men, dutifully waiting for their next orders. Leo kept a hand on the machine, eyeing the screen, while Reiji faced his team with a determined look on his face.

"Men, we are at a disadvantage," Reiji explained to them. "We were only able to save ourselves and gather here. We barely know what the situation is like out there, and how much of the Doktor's touch has permeated the school, and who is a friend or an enemy."

The Lancers looked at him without faltering. By now, they had all come to accept that the odds were once again against them. They were just focused on finding out what they can do to fix it.

"And with the little time we've had, I was only able to come up with a makeshift plan. We're taking huge risks in implementing it, but it might be the only way to fight against the Doktor."

The Lancers still gave nods of approval. They knew the risks, and they were completely willing to do this anyway. And when he saw this reaction, Reiji couldn't help but let a proud egao slip through.

"To be effective, we need to spread out and systematically do what we can to counter our enemies. So each of us will have our own assignment, which me must all execute flawlessly. Any mistakes can endanger yourself, put the plan at risk, and hurt all of us."

"My son and I will be working on the machine here," Leo explained. "We can replicate the Solid Vision disruption technology the ear pieces have, but on a much larger scale."

"We'll be able to destroy all the Fusion Parasites, and keep the Doktor from creating any more. It will also prevent us from using Solid Vision in duels, but this means that they can't use it, either."

"But what if people find you?" Yuya asked. "If duelists break in, you'll have to fight them off."

"That's where Sawatari comes in," Reiji explained. "He will act as our bodyguard, and hold off anyone who manages to break in."

"You can count on me, chief!" Sawatari said proudly.

"He doesn't need to win; he just needs to stall."

"You can... count on me, chief..."

Sawatari slouched and groaned. Yuya gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

"The man, Gongenzaka," Reiji stated. "You will be taking control of the security room."

"The security room is the brain of the school," Leo stated. "If we can access to all the cameras, we can see the extent of the Doktor's reach."

"As well as predict his movements. I wouldn't be surprised if the enemy had the same idea, so you'll likely have to fight them for control of the room. But gain control, and you've severely crippled our enemies."

Gongenzaka nodded. "The man, Gongenzaka accepts this mission. I'll do whatever I can to get into the room."

"It would be a huge boon to us," Reiji agreed. "Yuya, your mission is designed especially for you."

"Eh?" Yuya wondered. "What do you need?"

"Since you're athletic, fast, great on your skates, and with strong legs that can run circles around anyone, you'd be perfect Lancer for getting through the school. You must leave the school and teleport to Pendulum. Alert my mother, and we'll have LDS."

"Understood."

"Why does he need to leave the school to teleport?" Sawatari asked.

"That would just put an unnecessary risk on him," Gongenzaka added. "Couldn't he just teleport away now? Or Sawatari can leave, and Yuya will guard?"

"GEE, _THANKS_!" Sawatari snapped.

"Yuya is the best fighter; he would be best suited for the job."

"Oh. Yeah. Well-"

This time, it was Leo's turn to speak, "For the students' safety, technology has been added to block people from teleporting in and out of the school grounds. This prevents bad people from breaking in and causing damage, or spies from making off with anything when they actually make it inside."

"And luckily, it keeps the Doktor's minions trapped in the school," Reiji added. "So the rest of the world is safe from the Parasites, for the time being."

"Yuya, can't you just use Clear Wing to take you home?" Gongenzaka asked. "It was able to bring us here in the first place."

Yuya shook his head. "Clear Wing is completely against us leaving without Yuzu and the others. Frankly, I agree with it."

"But you're still going to try and escape, because it's for the greater good," Reiji said. "Because you're a caring person like that."

"...Yes," Yuya said bitterly. "I'll do it."

"If you _happen_ to find Serena, and you are absolutely sure she's not possessed, then you can take her with you. But you must not let her out of your sight once she leaves the school."

Yuya egao'd. "Right! Thank you, Reji."

"No, Yuya. Thank _you_."

And it was right then that the doors to the room slid open. A panicky Chronos scuttled in and made a beeline towards the Professor.

 _"Professor!"_ he cried. " _Mama mia_ , I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Everyone looked on at Chronos in horror. Even Reiji lost his cold indifference, lookin very perturbed. Leo even let out a small grunt of annoyance.

"... What?"

"Sawatari," Reiji said. "You were supposed to lock the door."

"What?" Sawatari said defensively. "So I forgot. Big deal."

"It _is_ a big deal."

Gongenzaka ran towards the door. He tapped at a few buttons on a nearby touchpad, and the doors were coming to a close.

Meanwhile, Reiji, Yuya and the Professor surrounded Chronos. They looked him up and down, keeping close so as not to let him escape them. Chronos just looked down at them and started to sweat nervously. They just all kept silent, though Chronos let a few, Italian-accented whimpers slip by.

Yuya's face softened when the image of Starving Venom appeared in his mind. Somehow, he could tell that the teacher wasn't a threat to them. Or at least, his dragon could.

"... He's clean," Leo said finally.

"How do you know?" Yuya asked. He kept his eyes on Chronos.

"My headpiece can detect heat signatures, physical abnormalities in people, auras. I can tell if someone is under their control, because Solid Vision their own, different signature."

"I know I'm clean!" Chronos protested. "I'm here to talk to you about my students! Half of them just walked out of class! The other half tried to attack me, but I was luckily able to escape them."

"Parasites," Yuya said. "Those students were probably taken over by Fusion Parasites, and they're making a move to take over the school. You really _are_ lucky to be here."

"Parasites?" Chronos scoffed. "That is ridiculous. Next you'll be telling me that the rumors about the abandoned dorm are true."

"The what?"

"Let's put that aside for now," Reiji said. "Chronos, you can back up Sawatari and protect me and the Professor. We'll be working on a way to disable the Fusion Parasites."

"... Right," Chronos responded. "If it will protect the students, I'll do whatever you need of me."

There was a knock at the door, and everyone went silent. Gongenzaka slowly backed away from the door, though still kept his eyes glued on them. The others looked at each other uneasily, and Sawatari activated his Duel Disk.

The knocks turned into a series of loud poundings. Whatever was on the other side of the door, they were trying very hard to break right in. A few dents were starting to appear in the door.

"Maybe if we keep silent, they won't know we're in here," Yuya whispered.

Leo looked to Chronos. "Did anyone follow you here?"

"I don't think so," Chronos whispered. "Maybe? But I'm sure I wasn't. I think."

"They probably saw where you went through the cameras," Gongenzaka whispered. "Or heard the door open. Thanks for that, Sawatari."

"Hey, I got us the teacher guy on her side!" Sawatari whispered back. "Maybe they heard your sandals, clanging like a freaking robot's toes."

"... Oh. Well..."

"Enough talk," Leo said to them, also whispering. "I have an escape tunnel that leads to the Chancellor's office, on the other side of the room."

"What?" Chronos gasped. "Why would you have that?"

"I have secrets everywhere in this school. And it just so happens that it would be useful now."

"Yuya, Gongenzaka," Reiji said. "The Professor can lead you to the tunnel. Go through and hope that the office hasn't been invaded."

Gongenzaka and Yuya both nodded. "Right."

Leo took a step towards another end of the room. He looked back at the two boys and shook his head, motioning for them to follow him. "The office isn't too far off from the security room. There should be maps or information in the office, should you two need anything."

The door was creaking loudly, and the knocks grew louder. The tip of the sword managed to rip through the metal doors. And the sound of a woman's laughter could be heard on the other side.

Leo pressed a button on the wall. A few panels on the wall slid up, revealing a darkened passageway. While Gongenzaka and Yuya took their first steps into the tunnel, Leo ran back towards the machine.

Chronos stepped forward and stood beside Sawatari. His own Duel Disk activated, and the duo both drew their hands. Though they were both sweating bullets, they were at the ready to fight.

"They're on to us!" Sawatari yelled. "Go, guys!"

Yuya peered out from the tunnel. "Be safe, Sawatari."

The sword pulled back, then returned ripping through the door with a vengeance. The hole it was creating was slowly widening with each whack, and more and moreof the sword was exposed to them.

A voice came from beyond the door: " _Come out, come out, wherever you are!"_

It was Grace Tyler.

* * *

 _ **A/N: There's a shit-ton of details about Jean and the Doktor's plan, but I didn't get to cover all of them; I didn't want exposition and backstory to take up so much of the story and drag it down, so I boiled it down to the most important details. This way, the most important information is brought up, and the extra stuff is up for interpretation. That being said though, there are still some things that will be explained later.**_

 _ **You're probably wondering, "Why can't they just call Himika and tell her about the invasion? The Lancers have cross-dimensional communication, right?" They do, but that's also partially jammed by the technology that prevents people from teleporting in and out of the school. Himika also barley answers her phone, anyway; she can only be reached in person, or through Facebook.**_

 _ **Next time: With the Lancers split up, they begin their counter-attacks against Jean.**_


	40. Class 8: Power Play

_**A/N: Long story short, I lost notes on the fic because of some computer troubles. Luckily I didn't lose too much; mostly ideas on bonus chapters, some extra fun facts, possible plots. But the main story should still be intact.**_

 _ **But now's a good time to suggest some bonus chapter ideas, of anything you want to see. I'm thinking of doing some duel chapters, which will include cross-series characters. So if you want to see something like Dennis vs Kaiba, suggest it and I'll see what I can do.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: Sawatari owns a skunk ape.**_

 _ **Description: The Lancers fight against Jean-Michel and the Doktor.**_

* * *

Jean-Michel didn't have a camera in Leo's little lab. But that was okay; he knew they were in there, trapped like little rats. They corralled themselves together nicely for him. Now all he had to do was send in the cats.

Jean looked over the wall of screens before him, watching over the various areas of the school. His soldiers were walking around robotically, on the hunt for Serena.

The newly-activated Sector K of students were now marching through classrooms and gathering as many un-infected students for "emergency check-ups." Those students would be brought to the gymnasium, where they would be brainwashed by the nurses. His army would grow, and there would be less people in the school that could interfere with his plan.

Now, where did Serena go again? She must have been in one of the classrooms, which didn't have cameras, for some reason. So it was just a matter of checking each room until she was found.

There was a small chess board on Jean's desk. He placed a hand on a white pawn and moved it forward two squares. His hand then moved over to the black queen and massaged the top of the piece. He was fighting the urge to topple it over. But no, he had to wait until the _actual_ queen had toppled.

The Chancellor's Office, Duel Academia third floor

Part of the wall rose up, revealing the tunnel behind it. Yuya and Gongenzaka stepped out of the tunnel and into the office, their heads desperately scanning the room for any signs of life. Luckily for them, they were alone.

Gongenzaka pointed towards a camera in one of the corners of the room. "They might see us now. We'll have to hurry up, before they find us."

Gongenzaka made his way towards the Chancellor's desk. His hands searched the back, until he was able to find a drawer. He pulled the drawer open and began to search through its contents. The movement caused the monitor on his desk to spring into a waking state, shining light over Gongenzaka's face.

"Map, map..." he mused. "Is it here? Or on the computer? Or... Hmmph."

Yuya, meanwhile, looked out of the wall of windows, which went from the ceiling to the floor. He could see the courtyard below, along with a few students walking about. They weren't what drew his eye, though.

"Gongenzaka," Yuya said. "There's something outside."

Gongenzaka turned his head to look out the window. Just a few feet away from the courtyard was a large, semi-transparent orange wall. From the ground and up to the sky, the wall was bending forward as it rose.

In other words, it was a dome. The whole school was surrounded by a dome.

"Are we trapped inside?" Gongenzaka asked.

"I don't know," Yuya admitted. "Maybe it's not solid, but a projection? Maybe it's just some sort of blocker, or..."

A bird caught Yuya's attention. It flew from a tree in the courtyard, up to the wall. It headed right towards the dome's wall, seemingly not even noticing it. Its body smacked right into the wall, making it bounce off and fall into a tailspn.

"Okay, nevermind."

Yuya made a mental note: check up on that bird.

"This is bad," Gongenzaka sighed. "Getting LDS could have been our best chance at saving the school."

Yuya turned around and started walking towards the room's front doors. He gave his friend a small wave, then opened one of the doors.

"Where are you going?" Gongenzaka asked.

Yuya stopped and turn to him. "Even if I can't get out, I can still rescue Yuzu."

Gongenzaka couldn't help but egao. "You don't sound too upset about this."

Yuya returned the egao with one of his own. He blushed and scratched the back of his head, then turned and walked through the open doorway.

"Good luck, Gongenzaka," Yuya called out. "After I find Yuzu, I'll come find you."

"Don't worry about me, Yuya," his friend responded. "I can handle it. Just worry about yourself and Serena, okay?"

"Thanks."

Yuya fiddled with the lock, then shut the door. And Gongenzaka went back to the Chancellor's desk, looking for that map to the security room. He was on limited time, but he wasn't going to let that cloud his mind. You could even say that he was

 _steadfast_

in his resolve.

Haha get it, like Steadfast Duels? Haha.

* * *

Amazoness Swords Woman's sword cut through the door. The door became more and more battered and cut, until the monster and the duelists were able to push them down.

Grace and Gloria Tyler stared down the people in the lab. Amazoness Swords Woman stood by Grace's side, while Grace held her Duel Disk in front of her.

Sawatari and Chronos stood before them. Their disks activated and Sawatari's Pendulum Zones filled, the two were blocking the sisters away from the Akabas.

"We found you~" Grace said happily. "Gloria, what should we do with them?"

"The bosses would want them alive, as our soldiers," her sister answered. "But I'm sure they would be alright if they were just removed from the picture."

"Oh, goodie!" Grace cackled. "Amazoness Swords Woman, destroy them!"

The monster ran across the room, waving the swords in her hands as she tried to cleave the heads off of her enemy's shoulders. She let out a large cry and raised the blades high.

"Pendulum Summon!" Sawatari declared. "Onto the scene, my monstrous actors!"

Two lights fell from the sky, landing before Amazoness Swords Woman. She halted her attack and watched as the lights shifted into two new monsters: Abyss Actors - Orchestral Backdrop and Leading Lady.

Orchestral Backdrop was a strange creature. A hunched over, pale-green-skinned gobin woth one bulging eye. A curtain hung from the top of its head, obscuring a large portion of its face. It had a tuxedo, and one hand carried a conductor's baton. **(ATK 100)**

A third monster materialized onto the field. This time, Abyss Actor - Extras appeared on the field, waving to the enemy Amazoness.

Backing them up was Ancient Gear Engineer. It jumped down from the sky and wedged itself between Sawatari's monsters and the Amazoness. It aimed its drill arm at the enemy monster's neck; a threat that warned it to baack away from the actors.

There was a small buzz in the air. Sawatari, Chronos, Grace and Gloria all looked down to their Duel Disk screens, which were now lit up with words.

 _"BATTLE ROYAL MODE - JOINING."_

The names of the four duelists appeared on the screen. First, it was Grace. Sawatari's name followed, Gloria was third, and Chronos was listed last. A set of rules soon rolled up the screen.

"Battle Royal Mode?" Grace wondered. "So we can't attack on our first turn, and we must follow this order."

"It's tough, fighting the both of you," Sawatari told her. "But trust me, you won't see a repeat of last time!"

"Yeah!" shouted Gloria. "We'll crush you even harder this time."

"So I get to go first?" Grace said. "Goodie! I'll activate Polymerization from my hand!"

Amazoness Swords Woman floated above Grace. An Amazoness Tiger rose from the Duel Disk and joined her. Together, they merged their bodies into a swirling vortex of blue and orange.

"Wild beast of the jungle with vicious fangs. Obtain the eyes of the warrior who cuts down her enemies, become savage new beast! Fusion Summon! Come before us! Level 7, Amazoness Pet Liger!"

A large, yellow beast jumped onto the field. Amazoness Pet Liger let out a loud roar and sat before its summoner. **(ATK 2500)**

"I'll set a card facedown, then end my turn!"

Grace slammed a card into her Spell/Trap Zone. Her turn ended with with her having an Amazoness Pet Liger on the field, along with the set card. She had 1 card in her hand, and he Life Points were at 4000.

* * *

Sawatari instinctively put his hand on his deck. But he quickly remembered that he couldn't draw during the first turn of Battle Royal Mode, and lowered his hand to his side.

 _That's okay,_ he thought. _Because the fun has just begun!_

"I tune my Level 3 Abyss Actor - Orchestral Backdrop with my Level 4 Abyss Actor - Leading Lady, and my Level 1 Abyss Actor - Extras!"

Orchestral Backdrop floated above the field. Its body dissolved into a series of three green rings, floating and spinning before each other. The other two monsters jumped into the rings, becoming the five stars needed for the Synchro Summon.

"Pitch-black wings of darkness! The fiend that flies through the night! Touch down on this stage, and make the audience's cries soar! Synchro Summon!"

A bolt of lightning struck the field, and a large, seven-foot tall man was lowered down onto the field. It was a green, wide-eyed goul in a black bird costume. Its muscular arms and were left exposed, and black wings were on his back, supported by white strings that rose up to the sky. The strings then broke, and the wings dropped sadly.

"Level 8, Abyss Actor - Black-Winged Fursuiter!" **(ATK 2800)**

"Haha, I get it," Grace said. "Furries, haha."

"Haha," Gloria agreed. "Original and humorous."

"Haha."

"You won't be laughing when you see its effect!" Sawatari declared. "When it's summoned, I can destroy a number of cards on the field, up to the number of Abyss Actors used as material for its summon!"

The monster raised its right arm. Both Amazoness Pet Liger and Grace's face-down card were struck down by bolts of lightning, shattering them.

"My monster!" Grace gasped. But she didn't seem too upset. In fact, she was _smiling_ at the destruction of her ace monster. "Oh well!"

"Because of the rules of the Battle Royal, I can't attack this turn," Sawatari explained. "I'll end my turn here, and let Chronos kick your asses!"

"With pleasure," Chronos responded.

Sawatari's turn ended with his Abyss Actor - Black-Winged Fursuiter on the field, along with his two Pendulum Scales. His hand was empty, but his Life Points were full, at 4000 Points.

* * *

"My move!" Gloria's booming voice announced. "Prepare to face the wrath of the Parasites! I summon Amazoness Marauder!"

Gloria aggressively threw a card onto her Disk's blade. Materializing onto the field was a young woman with a muscular body and orange-yellow hair. A long blue cape with a red trip flowed behind her. She was wielding a short sword in each hand. **(ATK 1400)**

"When Amazoness Marauder is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a level 3 or lower monster from my hand."

This time, Gloria carefully placed a card onto her blade. A Fusion Parasite materialized onto the field by the Amazoness monster's side, like some sort of vicious, loyal pet. A loyal pet that jumped and latched onto the back of its owner. **(ATK 0)**

 _"Mama mia!"_ Chronos exclaimed.

"Here it comes..." Sawatari grumbled.

"When Parasite Fusioner is summoned, I can Fusion Summon, using monsters on my side of the field as material," Gloria explained. "Also, it can be used as a substitute for a monster listed required for the Fusion."

The insect dug its claws deep into the Marauder's back. She let out a small help as the creature grew in size, growing bigger and bigger until the Marauder couldn't help but fall onto her hands and knees. Both monsters glowed and started to swirl their bodies together.

"Warrior of the jungle! Become one with the inner voice, and build an empire that rules over everything! Fusion Summon!"

Flames erupted onto the field. The lord of all Amazoness monsters herself rose from the fire, holding up her arms to the sky. Tied to her back was an enormous, spiked sword.

"Level 8, Amazoness Empress!" **(ATK 2800)**

Chronos clicked his tongue. "Man vs machine. Hopefully, you can keep up against my Ancient Gears."

Gloria smiled and said, "Your mechanical empire is going to crumble. Go, Amazoness Empress!"

* * *

Yuya was surprised by now empty the floor had been. It was likely that most of the students had moved to the lower floors, or were on other trails. Honestly though? He knew that they would be coming for him soon. There was no escaping the cameras.

Unless he destroyed them.

... No, that wouldn't work. It would take too long to destroy enough to make a difference. The noise would just alert everyone. He'd have to go through the entire school to get them. When Gongenzaka would wrest control of the security room, it would be useful to have all the cameras working. And the time spent destroying the cameras meant there would be less time to find Yuzu.

It was frustrating that he couldn't do anything, but that's just how it was. For now though, he decided to focus all on Serena.

As Yuya slowly stalked through the halls, he was having conversations with the voices in his head. Yuto, Yuri and Yugo would help him bounce ideas on what to do. After all, four heads were better than one. Even though they only had one head.

 _We could call or text Serena, ask her where she is,_ Yuya proposed.

Yuto shook his head. _The ringing could alert people nearby. We'd basically be telling the enemy where she is._

 _We could hide in a crowd of students,_ Yugo offered. _Blend in, wait until Rin is found, then kick their asses and run away with her._

 _Anyone in the security room would see us coming,_ Yuya responded, apparently not realizing that his distinct hair would be a bigger give-away.

 _Yuya, maybe I should take over,_ Yuto said.

 _Eh? Why?_

 _I'm the one with the most stealth experience. I know subterfuge. I can get us through this place well enough._

 _Yuto's right,_ Yugo said. _He's our best shot at getting through this school._

 _Even if there are cameras, I'll be too quick to pinpoint. I'll just need Yuri to give me a few directons..._

Yuto closed his eyes. He felt a pain in his throat, but he had to swallow. Yuri was a terrible taste, but he needed to have him there to help. Though he hoped that the boy wouldn't screw him over for the sake of a joke.

 _Yuri, you've been pretty quiet,_ Yuya said. _Will you help us?_

Yuri looked at his three brothers, though Yuya was too busy staring at the hallway ahead of him to look back. Yuto crossed his arms and Yugo put his hands on his hips, both looking at him expectantly.

 _I should take over,_ Yuri said.

Yuri crossed his arms and looked at the trio. Yuya stopped walking and looked right at him. All three of Yuri's counterparts had various looks of surprise and unease.

Yuri let out a sigh. _Yuto's right; I know this school better than any of you. I know where the cameras have blind spots, and where we can find some hiding places. And since I know what Yuzu smells like, I'll be able to track her down easily._

The three of them didn't answer. Not with their words. Instead, their continued silence was enough to tell Yuri their thoughts on the matter. And Yuri hated it.

 _Oh, come on!_ he scoffed. _You STILL don't trust me? I don't want to die, either!_

 _Why SHOULD we trust you?_ Yuto snapped. _You'd probably turn on the Lancers the second you got the chance._

Yuri took a step back. He coud see absolute rage in his counterpart's eyes. Yuto clearly didn't want to budge on the matter, and the palpable hatred in the air made Yuri decide that talking to him would ultimately be pointless.

But Yuri had to admit that, upon seeing Yugo and Yuya not supporting him, he felt a little hurt. Yugo looked less mad than Yuto, but clearly didn't support giving control over to Yuri. Yuya wasn't even watching them; he was walking towards a staircase and pretending that he wasn't involved with the argument.

 _Yuya,_ Yuri said. _Yuya. Yuya... Yuya!_

Yuya didn't answer. He pressed his back against a wall and leaned his head toward the staircase. He was listening out for signs of life, like footsteps or talking. Luckily, there were none. Maybe the person in the security room wasn't checking out this area?

 _Yuya, answer me._

Yuya closed his eyes. _The girls' safety is too important to risk._

 _Oh, I'm a_ risk _now?_ Yuri said, offended. _I'm the best shot we have, and you're acting like-_

 _Enough, Yuri!_

Yuya turned his head toward his counterpart. _Look, I can't indulge you right now. I'm not going to put people at risk to keep you happy._

Yuri bit his lip. What he wanted to do was throw something at Yuya's face. Mention how he lashed out at him for trying to help him with Yusho. Something he could use to guilt Yuya into giving him control. But from the way Yuya spoke just then, he knew that it Yuya wouldn't have any of it this time.

Now it was Yuri's turn to fill the air with his anger. He was barely able to stop himself from grabbing Yuya by the throat and throwing his spirit out of his own body. He couldn't actually do that, but he wanted nothing more than to try.

Well, there was _one_ thing he wanted more. And when he thought of that thing, he was able to sigh and let some of his anger drift on the wind.

He reached out to tap Yuya's shoulder. To force his mind into the body and take control. Just to forget all of this pointless arguing, and take matters into his own hands. He had the most power while in the Fusion Dimension; they couldn't stop him.

Instead, he sighed again. _I know that I haven't been the best person. I don't deserve your trust._

 _You got that right,_ Yuya replied.

 _I don't deserve your trust, but I'm asking for it anyway. I KNOW I'm the best one for the job. And I don't want to see Serena and the others get hurt._

 _Do you really care?_ Yugo asked. _Or are you just saying that?_

 _I mean it!_ Yuri said defensively. _This time, I have a reason not to turn on the Lancers. I have something I don't want taken from me._

 _Serena?_ Yuto asked.

 _She entertains me. I don't want to see her get killed just yet._

 _Yuri..._ Yuya thought.

 _Okay, maybe that's a little harsh! But being nice is new for me-_

 _Would Serena trust you to save her?_ Yugo asked.

Yuri paused. He looked down to his hands, almost hoping that he had some sort of tangible way to answer him. When he saw that a hand-written note from Serena didn't magically materialize, he looked back up to his counterparts. All eyes were on him now.

 _She's not going to be my wife or anything, but I think she understands me. We haven't talked much, but... I don't know. I just think that..._

 _That you have a connection,_ Yuto mumbled.

 _Yeah, that. It's like-_

 _You understand a lot about her, just by being around her,_ Yugo added.

 _And it's almost as if-_

 _She understands you right back,_ Yuya said.

Yuri sighed once more. _I hate talking about this crap. But yeah. Being around her makes me feel-_

 _In love,_ the three answered.

 _Not a chance in hell,_ Yuri grumbled. _But talking to her made me feel a little better, because she knows what it's like to feel the same way._

Yuto egao'd. _My, my. Did Yuri just prove that he has the capacity to care about other people?_

 _Yeah, laugh it up, eggplant. Yuya, will you let me take over?_

Yuya's ears perked up. He leaned further even more to catch the sound of something coming their way.

 _Yuya?_

 _I have an idea,_ Yuya told him. _Let's do this together, Yuri._

* * *

Serena hoped that her stomach rumbles wouldn't give away her position to the enemy. She had also hoped that, when this was all over, Yuri would buy her lunch at the dining hall. Jeez, why couldn't the Doktor start his plan _after_ she ate something? Probably because he was a jerk.

Sitting beside her were Rin and Ruri. Having been watching Serena's struggles, the two decided to sit down and join her in hiding. They were also afraid, but they weren't going to let Serena face this alone.

Yuzu was unable to show up, being too busy in the mindscape to even be aware of what was going on.

 _Maybe we can just summon a monster and bum rush anyone we see,_ Rin proposed.

 _But what if we get get attacked by a Fusion Parasite?_ Ruri asked. Her voice shook a bit as she spoke.

 _Then you guys can just destroy it again,_ Serena said.

The two girls looked at Serena in confusion. Serena raised an eyebrow at them in response. All three of them seemed to be a bit lost now.

 _You guys can't destroy them again?_

 _We didn't destroy any Parasites,_ Rin responded.

 _But then why did the Doktor say it was destroyed?_ Serena asked. _Why aren't we under his control now?_

 _... Maybe we are,_ Ruri muttered.

The three looked to Ruri. Ruri continued with by saying to them, _Maybe he let you escape, so you could get Yuto and the others to rescue us._

 _... And then, the Doktor activates the Parasite and makes us turn on them!_ Rin exclaimed. _We can't let them find us then._

 _No, no!_ Serena protested. _We got rid of the Parasite. We killed it somehow._

 _But how do you know?_

 _I-I just do... I think._

Serena brought her knees to her chest, taking an almost fetal position. The thought that she was unknowingly under someone else's control just plagued her mind. it was like she couldn't even trust in her own thoughts. Could she even trust Rin and Ruri right now?

She let out a small sigh. If she was able to question it, then maybe she really did have some free will now. But if the Fusion Parasite could take control over her at any time, she could lose that will before she knew it.

Then, amidst her turmoil, Serena could feel something in her chest. A warm, pleasant sensation. It was like the sun was shining through her, trying to get out.

Serena's head rose up to look at the other girls. They were both clutching at their chests. She could tell that they were also feeling the same thing. They could feel the heat that was pouring through their bodies.

Serena looked down to her Duel Disk. To her surprise, her deck was glowing a gentle blue. The sight was oddly comforting. It felt familiar, in a way. She reached out and touched the top card of her deck.

Before she could draw, she heard furious knocks at the door. Someone was pounding wildly, shaking and punching the door in an attempt to get it open. Serena's concentration broke, and the deck's glow started to fade. The warm feeling quickly left her body, and she was quickly brought back to the situation she was in.

Before she could do anything, the door burst open. She could see a single person step into the room. Although Serena could barely see them in the dark, she could hear them step towards the light switch.

The lights came on, and Sora was starting down at her.

"There you are!" he exclaimed. "Come on, we need to run!"

Serena slowly rose up, keeping her eyes glued to him. She kept her Duel Disk arm in front of her, ready to duel should Sora make a move against her. Since she didn't see him with the other Lancers earlier, she didn't trust him just yet.

"Are you going to rat me out to the Doktor?" she growled.

"What? No!" Sora answered. "Yuya sent me to get you."

Serena's eyes softened. "You saw Yuya?"

Sora nodded. "I saw him by the stairs earlier. He told me to get you. He's going to fight the Doktor now."

Serena took a step closer. Though she kept her Duel Disk at the ready, she wasn't too sure of Sora's allegiance to the Doktor.

"That... sounds like _something_ Yuya would do," Serena admitted. "Where can we meet up with him?"

"You crazy?!" Sora whispered harshly. "We can't fight the Doktor! You don't have something to block the Fusion Parasite; you'll get one in your head!"

"No, I... I think I'm immune."

Sora sighed. "That doesn't make sense. And we're not going to confront the Doktor. You need to come with me, before the students find us."

Serena lowered her Duel Disk. She hesitantly walked towards Sora. Though she was still on high alert, Sora seemed to be telling her the truth. He seemed to have her best interests at heart. So maybe he wasn't the enemy?

 _Stop,_ Rin said to her.

Serena stopped in her tracks.

"What's wrong, Serena?" Sora asked. "We don't have time to waste. The student soldiers are coming!"

 _Serena, ask him who his best friend is._

"Sora," Serena said. "Prove to me you're not under the Doktor's control."

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Right now? How?"

"Who is your best friend?" Serena asked.

"Why would you-" Sora grumbled. "Yuya. It's Yuya, obviously!"

Serena egao'd. She made her way over to Sora, nodding in agreement to his words.

And then she punched him in the face, knocking Sora to the ground.

"What was that for?!" he screamed. "Serena, what the _hell_?!"

"You can't fool me, pawn of the Doktor," she told him.

"... You figured it out, then."

Sora pressed his hands against the wall and pushed himself up. His face stare at the floor, his eyes not even daring to look at Serena. But Serena could see the corners of his mouth raise into a smile.

"What gave it away?" he asked her.

"Nothing," Serena answered. "I was just bluffing, and you fell for it. It was Rin's idea."

"You clever little toy."

Sora's head rose up. His left eye was becoming discolored, but it was nowhere near as disconcerting as his expression. He looked deranged, bloodthirsty. His broad smile conveyed his desire to kill.

"So we'll have to do this the hard way," he said to her. "Let's duel."

* * *

 _So we can assume that Serena's not on the third floor, because the students have all stopped searching there,_ Yuri said.

 _Uh-huh_ , Yuya answered.

Yuya skated down the hallway. So far, the second floor had been empty of students, aside from the one Yuto knocked out by the stairs.

 _The classrooms with open doors were probably checked,_ Yuri continued. _And Serena would be an idiot to hide in a room with an open door, because anyone could just walk in._

 _Uh-huh_ , Yuya answered.

They could hear the sound of footsteps. A few students of various colors appeared a the end of the hallway. Once they caught the sight of Yuya, they started running at him.

Yuya turned to the doors in the hallway. They were all open, and no sound was coming from the rooms. They were probably empty, then.

 _To the next hallway?_ Yuri asked.

 _Uh-huh_ , Yuya answered.

The students were running forward, Duel Disks outstretched. But Yuya wasn't going to even bother fighting them. Instead, he skated faster and dashed passed a few of the students.

A few of them tried to grab hold of him. Instead, Yuya jumped at a student and dug his skate's heels into his belly. He bounced off the student and spun in the air, before landing back on the ground.

The hurt student fell to his knees and clutched his stomach. A few of the students backed away from Yuya and activated their Duel Disks. Apparently, they knew that trying to use their hands to hold him wouldn't work.

Yuya pulled his goggles over his eyes. He turned to a wall, then ran straight towards it. His foot tapped against the bricks, and he started to skate on the wall. He skated right passed the confused and angry students, and right down the hall.

* * *

Two students- a Red girl and a Yellow boy- stood by the entrance to the security room. The Yellow boy, who towered over the Red girl, leaned against a wall and laughed at something the girl said.

"That's why it's so funny!" she giggled. "Man, that duel was _crazy_."

"You made his monster fall in love with yours, though?" the boy asked. "I still think you're kidding me."

"No, it really happened! It's because Maiden in Love's effect-"

The sound of something clanking made them stop. The two turned forward to see the source of the sound. The man, Gongenzaka turned the corner and stopped before them.

"Am I interrupting something?" he asked them.

"Nah, man," said the Yellow boy. "We were just waiting for someone to try and get to the room behind us."

"Kenzan," the girl said to the boy. "I hope you're not thinking of dueling him alone."

"Of course not," the boy responded. "Where's the fun in leaving a _zaurus_ out?"

"Two against one isn't very fair, you know," Gongenzaka interjected.

"You scared?" Kenzan asked confidently.

"Of course not," Gongenzaka responded. "Because you're both going to lose either way."

* * *

Sora's turn had just ended. He had 3 cards in his hand, a facedown Spell or Trap, and Frightfurs Wolf and Sheep on his side of the field. His Life Points were at 2400.

Serena drew a car, giving her 2 cards in her hand. Her field consisted of Lunalights Cat and Panther Dancer, and her Life Points were at 1500.

"The odds are against you, bitchcakes," Sora told her. "If you get on your knees and beg for mercy, maybe I won't have you cut. _Maybe_."

"You're going to be the one begging for mercy!" Serena hissed. "Prepare to eat a cuckold, you b-"

 _"Serena!"_

Both duelists recognized that voice! They, along with their monsters, turned to look at the open door. Someone was standing in the doorway, egao-ing wickedly.

"Finally, I found you," he said. "You were harder to find here than you were in Synchro."

Serena's jaw dropped, and the corners of her mouth curled into an egao. This was probably the first time she'd been happy to see _Yuri_ , of all people.

Yuri pulled the goggles from his (Yuya's?) face. He stepped into the room and walked towards the duel.

"Do you know how many laws of physics Yuya had to break to get through this place?" he said. "I don't know what's with those skates, but-"

"For freakin'..." Sora grumbled. "We're trying to duel here! Do you want me to slice you up, t-"

As Yuri walked by, he backhanded Sora in the face, hard. So hard that Sora fell back and thew his hands over his bleeding nose.

"Come on, Serena," Yuri said. "Let's get out of here. I gotta tell you about _my_ cool plan."

Serena shook her head. "What about Sora? I can't just walk away."

Yuri turned his head back to Sora, then looked back at Serena. "Forget about him, he's a little twerp."

"I'm not backing down," she said. "Plus, he could just come after us again."

"... Make it quick," Yuri sighed. "And violent. I'll hold off the other students, if they come."

Serena gave Yuri a thumb's up.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Despite what the treatment of Sora this chapter might imply, I actually like him a lot. He's one of my favorite ARC-V characters. But that's what you get when you cross Yuri and Serena.**_

 _ **Next time: Yuri and Serena confront the Doktor, who reveals an even darker side to his research.**_


	41. Class 9: Queen's Gambit

_**Fun Fact: Skunk apes were well-known creatures in the original dimension. They were often kept as pets by the rich elite.**_

 _ **Description: Yuri and Serena team up to take down the Doktor in a duel.**_

* * *

Yuri hated being manhandled. But the three students that kept their hands on him wouldn't let go. To ensure that their captive would make it to the Doktor, they had to keep him restrained.

His arms were pulled behind his back, his wrists held in place by a Yellow student. Two older Reds were on either side of him, their arms wrapped under his. He was lifted slightly above the ground, so he wouldn't be able to drag his feed and delay his fate.

The four of them approached the doors to the Doktor's lab. They brought Yuri to the touchpad, and one of the Reds used their free hand to tap on a button. The sound of intercom static buzzed through the air.

 _"Yessss?"_ came the Doktor's slimy voice.

"We've apprehended one of the Lancers," the Red to Yuri's left explained.

The Doktor chuckled. _"Good work, my lovely helper! I'll unlock the door, then."_

The static cut off. And after a short moment, the metal doors started to slide open for the students.

Yuri turned to the Red on his left. "So what? You can't get in yourself?"

"Most of us don't have the key code," the Yellow behind him responded. "Only those who need it are given it, so we can't give away the code to the enemy."

"So you're not important enough for the code."

The Yellow student stepped back, though he still kept his arms around Yuri's wrists. he raised a foot and kicked Yuri forward. And with that, the four of them entered the lab.

* * *

The Doktor greeted the students. Hes stood in the middle of his lab, hands behind his back and giving them a disturbingly creepy smile. This was his attempt at looking caring and supportive for his Parasite kids. But if the students weren't being puppeteered by brain parasites, they would be absolutely horrified.

The students stood before the Doktor, Yuri still in hand. The Reds used their free hands to salute their controller, though the Yellow had to keep both of his hands on Yuri.

"Excellent, my children!" the Doktor exclaimed. "You captured the biggest threat to our rise to power!"

"Glory on the Academia!" the three students declared in unison. "Glory on Doktor M!"

The Doktor chuckled again. "I wish I could have seen how my children did. Tell me, how were you three able to apprehend the troublesome boy?"

"We found him in a classroom, alone," said one of the Reds. "He had psychically knocked out an Obelisk Blue student."

"Instead of dueling, he tried to run," said the other. "We were able to apprehend him then."

"Unfortunately, we had not been able to find the girl," the Yellow added.

"Oh. Don't worry, my pets!" the Doktor responded. "I'm still proud that you were able to capture this... Yuya? Yuri?"

"Yuri," Yuri told him, egao-ing. "Can't you recognize me from my handsome looks?"

"Serena will be found, and she will join the fold soon enough. In the meantime, you can just cast Yuri into my experimentation room. I want to see if I can discover why he's immune to your brothers and sisters."

"It's the eyebrows, isn't it? I look different without my normal eyebrows."

"Take his deck, too. Maybe we can glean something useful from his dragon."

Yuri's smug little egao dropped. He stared right at the Doktor. His eyes were cold, but still filled with a barely-controlled hatred for him.

The Doktor just smiled and leaned in. "Would you like that, Yuri? We'll turn Starving Venom Fusion Dragon into _Starving Venom Parasite Dragon_."

Yuri's hair was standing on edge. An oppressive feeling filled the air. The students instinctively let go and stepped back from him. It was like they could sense the danger emanating from Yuri.

They were all captured.

Three monsters (Lunalights Blue Cat, Purple Butterfly and Crimson Fox) appeared behind the students. They put their hands around the students bodies and held them tight in bear hugs. Two of students thrashed, panicked and screamed, but the monsetrs refused to let go. A Red student, however, seemed to be pretty calm and accepting of their capture; he rested his head on Crimson Fox's shoulder.

Serena stepped emerged from behind one of the large cylinders of water. She kept her activated Duel Disk at the ready. And judging by her confident egao, she knew just how well she'd done.

The Doktor's smile fell. His face was purely dumbstruck. He stood there for a moment, processing how she could have gotten in.

He looked behind her, towards the entrance. The door was closed. How did she get in, then? When did she sneak in? Was she always here? It was very troubling.

The oppressive air around Yuri started to fade. He turned around and looked at Serena curiously. "Eh? Took you long enough, Serena."

Serena scoffed as she approached the scene. "It's not too late for me to turn back around and leave you here, Yuri."

"Fair enough, Celery."

Serena stopped before one of the students, the Yellow. She reached out and grabbed his Duel Disk with her hands, then started to slide it off of his arm. The student flailed and protested, but the monster kept a tight hold on him.

Yuri wasn't going to just stand around and watch this. He moved to another student, also pulling off their Disk. Once he was able to slip it off of the Red's wrist, he threw the Disk to the ground and stomped his foot on it.

Serena pulled the student's deck out from the student's Disk, then placed it in the student's pants' front pocket. She threw the Disk into the air, and her Lunalight let go of the student to attack it. Once the Duel Disk was clawed apart, the monster dematerialized.

The Doktor pulled his left arm from behind his back, revealing his Duel Disk. A sword-shape blade activated before it. Yuri, noticing this, turned away from the students and aimed his own Duel Disk at the Doktor.

"You really want to do this, Professor Creepenstein?" Yuri asked. "I think we both know that you could never beat an incredibly skilled duelist."

"Unlike the rest of the school, I'm not afraid of you, Yuri," the Doktor said. "My parasites are too magnificent to lose."

Serena's student ran towards Serena, throwing a punch in her direction. Serena ducked under the fist, then delivered a sharp uppercut to his lower jaw. The student fell to the ground, stunned. His eyes fluttered, before slowly coming to a close.

"Wait..." Serena mumbled. "Why am I destroying the Duel Disks? I could just knock them out."

The Doktor and Yuri both turned to lok at Serena as she walked over to the Yellow student. She punched him square in the forehead, and he crumbled to the floor like a sack of potatoes. The monster holding him vanished, and Serena moved on to the third student.

The Doktor kept watching. He wasn't particularly upset, but he was surprised by what he was watching. And Yuri was wide-eyed and egao-ing, watching with joy as Serena knocked out the last student, and her last monster vanished.

"There, now you're all alone," Serena said to the Doktor. "I suppose you're wondering how we were able to pull this off?"

"No!" the Doktor responded.

Serena blinked. "What?"

"You don't listen to my plans, I won't listen to yours."

"Why you..."

"Don't listen to him, Serena," Yuri said cooly. "It was a great plan, so we should get to explain it anyway."

Serena nodded. She walked towards the two and took her place beside Yuri. The two of them kept their Duel Disks before them, ready to fight back should he make a move against them.

"You see, Doktor," Serena explained. "Did you really think Yuri'd be stupid enough to get caught? Yuri let himself be captured."

"It was all a ruse to fool you," Yuri said. "And, like the second-rate scientist you are, you fell for it."

"We wanted to get into your lab, but we figured the door would be locked."

"And we couldn't just break in with our monsters; it would attract too much attention."

"And we'd have to fight an army of students."

"So we let you capture me, and bring me to the lab..."

"... And once the door was opened, I snuck in and waited."

"And now we duel you."

"And when you're defeated..."

Together, they said, _"The Parasites go down!"_

Their Duel Disks spoke, _"DUEL MODE: BATTLE ROYAL MODE - ACTIVATING."_

 _ **"ACTION... DUEL!"**_

* * *

Jean-Michel looked over all the cameras before him. Students were marching under his command. People were corralled into the gym, where his nurses would bring them into his army. The Lancers were either squirreled away and waiting to be killed, or running around like scared rats.

He looked over the camera in the Doktor's lab. Yuya and Serena seemed to be engaging the Doktor in a discussion. All three of them had their Duel Disks activated, and a duel would likely come soon.

He wasn't going to risk the Doktor losing. He brought his finger over the intercom button; sending half an army to join the fight seemed like a safe amount.

His focus was broken by the sound of banging. Something was slamming furiously against the door.

Jean scanned the wall of cameras, looking for the one that would show him what was on the other side of the door. The banging made it hard for him to concentrate, but he was able to scan through the screens and find it.

It was a tall, muscular young man. What was his name? Gong? Gongstrong? ... Regardless, two students were on the floor, unconscious. And Gongle was ramming his body against the door. Finally, he was able to force the door open, and disappear from the camera's sight.

Jean immediately spun his chair around and stood to face his uninvited guest. Gonchan was staring him down while panting heavily. Sweat was dripping from his brow, which seem rather disgusting to Jean.

"Taking control of people?" Gongenzaka sighed. "That's not very original, Roget. Wasn't that your plan last time?"

"So... you Lancers have come to stop me again?" Jean asked him.

"You had this coming for a long time."

Jean smirked. He raised a his open hand to Gongenzaka, then quickly closed it.

"Was that supposed to intimidate me?" Gongenzaka asked him.

"That's me, crushing whatever hope you have of stopping me. Do you really think that _you_ , of all people, could ever hope to stop me?"

Gongenzaka raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Face it!" Jean shouted. "You lost in the first round of the Friendship Cup! You can't go up against the head of this magnificent plan!"

"You sure boast a lot. But as I recall, you lost to Reiji the last time."

"To _Reiji_ , yes!" Jean replied. "Do you really think you can match up to him? Do you really think that I'll allow you to ruin my plans?"

"Enough talk!" Gongenzaka declared. "Our cards should do the talking."

"Yes, agreed," Jean said calmly.

Both of the duelists lifted up their Duel Disks, and their blades sprung to life.

Jean had no problem dueling this boy. Gongenzaka was merely a distraction, a pawn in a game that he couldn't comprehend. He could be crushed easily, and Jean could go back to his work.

In the meantime, the Doktor would only need to hold their enemies off until Jean could call for reinforcements. And even then, the Doktor would be strong enough to defeat them.

Agents would be swarming the other Lancers at that moment, too. The Akabas' plans would fail. The Lancers would fail. They had no way to fight off Jean's ever-growing army of students. It was only a matter of time before they, too, would fall to their knees.

Jean was so close to winning this time. His years of suffering, hard work, and meticulous planning would finally be rewarded. He was going to win the game.

* * *

"Black-Winged Fursuiter!" Sawatari commanded. "Attack!"

The monster flew across the field, toward Gloria Tyler. It held its sword above her head, then brought it down upon her. Though the Solid Vision seemed to pass through her body, the woman let out a horrible scream of pain.

 **(Gloria: 2650 → 0)**

The monster took Gloria into its arms, then carried her to the door. It gently plopped her outside, then stood by the door. Now, it just had to wait for Grace to lose.

"You're going to regret that!" Grace hissed. "My turn, I'll-"

"It's _my_ turn now!" Chronos declared. "Draw!"

Chronos pulled a card from his deck, then placed it on his Disk's blade. Polymerization appeared on his side of the field, and a swirling vortex of blue and orange surrounded his two Ancient Gear Soldiers.

The two monsters were pulled into the air above Chronos, and the image of an Ancient Gear Golem, appeared on alongside them. Their bodies swirled and melded together n the vortex.

"Robotic behemoth! Mechanized soldiers!" Chronos chanted. "Become one now and demonstrate your tremendous power!"

The melded creation became an even bigger, hulking monster, a centaur Ancient Gear Golem. It descended to the field and towered over everyone on the field. **(ATK 4400)**

"Fusion Summon! Level 10, Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem!"

Grace's jaw dropped. She took a step back, then looked at her field. With only 1400 Life Points, and a Amazoness Paladin as her sole monster guardian, her fate rested on her set Trap.

"Do your worst," Grace said to them.

Chronos declared, "Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem! Attack Amazoness Paladin!"

Grace looked down to her Disk. She immediately tapped on her facedown card to try and activate it. But to her surprise, all she got was an "ERROR."

Horror drained the color from her face. It was at this point that she remembered one of Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem's effects: If it attacks, your opponent can't activate Spell or Trap Cards until the end of the Damage Step.

Grace looked back to the field. The towering behemoth of a monster brought its fist down on Amazoness Paladin. Grace's monster was instantly shattered, and the quaking shockwaved ran through Grace's body.

 **(Gloria: 1400 → 0)**

* * *

 _"INTRUSION PENALTY."_

 _"INTRUSION PENALTY."_

 _"INTRUSION PENALTY."_

Leo briefly turned away from his work to look behind him. Three students had come into the room. Chronos and Sawatari drew their eyes, though. For now, the Akabas were safe to continue their research.

He then looked over to his son. Reiji's eyes were glued onto his screen. He seemed to be going over the information before him, double-checking Leo's code strings and comparing it to his own notes. They were working on pieces of a big project, so they needed perfect harmony.

It was all very important, and it needed to be described as vaguely as possible.

"I'm glad to have you here with me, son," Leo told him. "I don't know how long this would take without you."

"You should focus on your work," Reiji told him. His voice was indifferent, and he didn't even look away from his screen.

Leo lowered his head, then turned back to his screen. "Right, sorry..."

* * *

Yuri took the first turn. He knew he had to make this quick, to make sure that the person in the security room couldn't send people after them.

"I summon Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio!" he said.

He pulled a card from his hand and placed it on his blade. A scorpion-like plant rose from the ground, like a flower that was growing and blooming. **(ATK 1200)**

"When this card is summoned, I can send a monster from my hand to the Graveyard, then Special Summon a Predaplant from my deck. Come, my carnivorous creature!"

Twin flowers appeared on the field. They slowly rose up from the ground, revealing their thick, green bodies. But as more and more of them started to be revealed, one could see that they were conjoined near the torso, and their singular body was that of a snake. **(DEF 1500)**

"When Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra is Special Summoned by the effect of a Predaplant monster, I can add Polymerization, or a 'Fusion' Spell from my deck to my hand. So I assume you can tell where this is going?"

Yuri's deck ejected a card near its center. Yuri picked it up, then presented it to his opponent. The Doktor seemed rather unfazed by the appearance of Polymerization, because he just kept on smiling contentedly.

"I fuse Predaplants Ophrys Scorpio and Darlingtonia Cobra!" Yuri stated. "Two beautiful flowers with an insect-alluring fragrance! Now become one, and from the hell beneath your petals, and give birth to a new terror!

The two monsters floated above Yuri, and their bodies melded together in the swirling vortex. Their new shape was covered by a thick and heavy fog of violet.

"Fusion Summon! Level 8, Predaplant Dragostapelia!"

The portal shattered, and the the fog quickly dissipated. A large, dragon-like monster spread its wings and hovered over the field. Its twelve red eyes, some of which running down either side of its neck, all blinked in unison. **(ATK 2700)**

The monster let out a horrible, heaving roar. Saliva, or possibly a nectar, dripped from the monster's mouth. It looked at the Doktor, with a hunger in its eyes.

"We can't attack, so I'll let you off the hook now," Yuri said to the Doktor. "My turn's over. But maybe you can pull through if you try your very best. Good luck, buddy!"

Yuri ended his turn with Predaplant Dragostapelia on the field. He had three cards in his hand, and his Life Points remained pristine, at 4000.

* * *

Per the rules of the Battle Royal, the Doktor couldn't draw or attack that turn. Still, he seemed rather happy with the turn of events.

Yuri and Serena kept their eyes on him. Serena was on edge, impatiently waiting for her turn. She didn't want to risk anything in this duel; she needed to end the Doktor, and quick. While Yuri just egao'd and scoffed at the Doktor.

"Why are you so happy?" Serena asked the Doktor. "Once we beat you, it's all over."

"And maybe you could help us with our experiments," Yuri offered. "I always wanted to know what a Doktor's brain look like when it's stepped on."

"Face it, Doktor. You should just give up now; the Lancers are already moving to stop you."

The Doktor lifted up two cards from his hand. "With my Scale 0 Pendulum Parasite, and my Scale 2 Parasite Pendulum, I set the Pendulum Scales."

He placed either card at the ends of his blade. Parasites appeared on his left and right, in columns of light. They rose up towards the ceiling, and their Scale numbers appeared below them.

Serena and Yuri took a step back. The color left Serena's face as the monsters rose into the air. They floated above them, and it was like a sword was dangling over her head, just waiting to fall down on her.

"H-how'd you get Pendulum Summoning?!" Serena gasped.

"My, the Professor, of course!" the Doktor answered. "Back when we first saw Shiun'in's memories, and got to examine Macfield's deck. Naturally, with how important my research was to the Professor's plans, I was given Pendulum Summoning to aid me."

Yuri, however licked his lips. An egao spread across his face. His eyes were wide with excitement.

"This is good," he said. "Very good. Maybe this match will be more fun."

The Doktor smiled at this. He held up the last three cards in his hand and placed them on his blade. "Pendulum Summon! Come forth, the children of my queen!"

Three monsters appeared on the field. They were all Fusion Parasites, except one was black, and another was white. Otherwise, all three monsters were the same in appearance. **(ATK 0)**

"Fusion Parasite 2's effect!" the Doktor announced. "When this card is summoned, I can immediately Fusion Summon a monster from my Extra Deck, using monsters I control, including this card."

The black parasite started to glow a bright red. It, and the white parasite were lifted off of the ground. The image of a blue-and-orange vortex swirled around them, and the monsters let their bodies join together.

"Two inner voices speak in harmony. They become one, and create the wicked beast that feasts on our enemies!"

A new monster took to the field. It was a large, swollen Fusion Parasite with a large, two-sectioned body. Its lower end was a bright red, and it pulsated and hummed. Its eyes were gone, and it had a long proboscis on its face.

"Fusion Summon! Level 3, Parasite Lifeslice!" **(ATK 500)**

Serena and Yuri watched the monster. The rhythmic pulses from its body was disgusting, but it was also hard to look away from it. The monster was unpleasant to see, but too unpleasant _not_ to see.

"Disgusting," Serena said quietly.

"That's pretty sick," Yuri said. "But my plants just _love_ eating insects, so I don't mind."

The Doktor pointed towards his smaller parasite. "Fusion Parasite's effect! If this card is Special Summoned, I can can Fusion Summon a Monster from my Extra Deck, using monsters I control as Fusion Materials, including itself."

Fusion Parasite also glowed bright red. Its body latched onto the back of Parasite Lifeslice,and their bodies merged together in a vortex of blue and orange.

"Two inner voices speak in harmony. They become one, and create the queen this world seeks! Fusion Summon! Level 8, Parasite Queen!"

The two parasites gave form to a new, much larger one. A monster that Serena found familiar, and it made her stomach churn to see it. The queen mother of all the parasites now stood in front of them, looking down at her and Yuri. **(ATK 1800)**

But that wasn't all. "Parasite Queen gains 300 ATK for each Fusion Parasite on the field. And my Pendulums are both treated as Fusion Parasites while on the field!" **(ATK 1800 → 2400)**

"Awesome! A bigger bug to feast on!" Yuri exclaimed. "Dragostapelia, I sense your hunger. You will feast soon, don't you worry."

"Pendulum Parasite's effect," the Doktor said calmly. "One per turn, if I control a Level 7 or higher Fusion Monster, I can target a Fusion Parasite in my Graveyard, and a monster on the field; the Fusion Parasite is equipped to that monster."

A Fusion Parasite materialized onto the back of Predaplant Dragostapelia. It dug its claws into the monster's back. In protest, Dragostapelia let out a rough, heaving roar.

"Parasite Queen's effect: monsters on the field, except for her, lose 800 ATK for every Fusion Parasite equipped to them." **(Dragostapelia ATK 2700 → 1900) (Parasite Queen ATK 2400 → 2700)**

Yuri looked disgusted. He cringed at the sight of the field.

"You're an awful man," Yuri said to the Doktor. "How dare you feast on my beautiful plants? You're going to pay dearly."

He looked to Serena. "Serena will make sure of that."

Serena blinked. "Wait, what?"

* * *

It was Serena's turn now. She looked over the five card in her hand. Her deck was based around aggressive tactics, so not being able to attack that turn would be a pain. But if she-

"Parasite Lifeslice's effect!" said the Doktor.

Serena looked up to her opponent. "What is it _now_?"

"My monster's effect activates when it's in the Graveyard after being Fusion Summoned. During each of my opponents' Standby Phases, I gain 200 Life Points." **(Doktor: 4000 → 4200)**

"Yeah, I'm sure that extra 200 will be a huge help," Yuri said sarcastically. "Get him, Serena."

"Right," Serena responded. "I set a monster, and two facedowns."

Serena threw three cards onto the field. Two Spells or Traps were set on the field, and a monster was set in facedown Defense position. A thorn-covered sphere appeared over the monster card, denoting the presence of something underneath it.

"And with that, I'll end my tu-"

"Boo," Yuri said.

"Yuri."

"Boo!" he said again. "What was that? That's so boring."

"I'm not going to take a bunch of risks right now," Serena informed him. "If I go in on the offensive, I'd open myself to serious damage."

"That's boring," Yuri groaned. "And we don't have time to turtle to victory; the Parasite Pals could come in at any time."

Serena looked away from Yuri. "Don't worry, I'm not going to turtle. When I get the chance, I'm going to bare my claws and strike."

Yuri egao'd at this line. Although Serena didn't see it, Yuri gave her a small nod of affirmation.

"I end my turn here," Serena said. "It's up to you now, Yuri."

Serena ended her turn with a monster set on her field, and two cards set in her Spell/Trap Zones. Her Life Points were still at 4000, and she had two cards in her hand.

* * *

Finally, Yuri was free to be! He drew a card from his deck, and was pleasantly surprised to see what he had drawn... But... would it be enough to beat the queen?

"Parasite Lifeslice's effect," the Doktor said. "During each of my opponents' Standby Phases, I gain 200 Life Points." **(Doktor: 4200 → 4400)**

Yuri frowned. He looked onto the field in horror, at the Parasite Queen that towered before him and Dragostapelia. And with the Parasite leeching on his beloved monster, it was clear just how bad the Doktor had made things.

"Oh, this is horrible..." Yuri said sadly. "Serena, we might as well just give up."

Serena turned to him. "What? What the _hell_ are you saying?!"

"Th-there's no way Dragostapelia can beat the Queen. And come next turn, the Doktor will be able to make her even stronger."

"We can't give up, Yuri!"

"He's right, though," the Doktor told her. "Those who try to stand up to the mighty queen will be crushed. It's best to surrender now, and pray that we choose to be merciful."

Serena growled. "I'll never surrender to you, you- you..."

"Oh, wait!" Yuri exclaimed.

Serena and the Doktor looked towards Yuri. The Doktor's smile had faded, and he looked at the boy with mild curiosity.

"I just remembered something!" Yuri continued. "I'm actually a genius, and I can totally _destroy_ the Doktor this turn."

Serena egao'd. "Yuri, you ass. Go right ahead."

"Predaplant Dragostapelia's effect activated," Yuri declared. "I can target a face-up monster my opponent, and place a Predator Counter on it. Its Level is reduced to 1, and its activated effects are negated."

A large green seed appeared on the field. Its red eyes opened, and it opened up to reveal a maw full of sharp teeth. The seed flew through the air and bit into one of the Parasite Queen's legs. **(Parasite Queen Level 8 → 1)**

"Unfortunately, that won't help you," the Doktor told him. "Its ATK-based effects are continuous effects, not activated effects. My queen is untouched."

Yuri gasped. "Oh, no! So my whole plan is ruined?! ... Good thing I'm not an idiot and already knew this."

The Doktor raised an eyebrow.

"I use Predaplant Banksia Ogre!" Yuri cackled. "I can Special Summon this card from my hand, by Tributing one monster my opponent controls with a Predator Counter."

The Doktor's jaw dropped. He watched as his Parasite Queen vanished before his eyes in a sea of sparkles. And now, appearing on Yuri's field, was a disgusting cob. Its many eyes stared at the Doktor, and its many mouths sneered at him. The card had no solid face, but he could tell that it was mocking him. **(ATK 2000) (Dragostapelia ATK 1900 → 2700)**

Yuri looked at the remaining three cards in his hand. Predaplant Cordyceps was the card he had drawn. A card that wasn't much on its own. But paired with the Banksia Ogre now on his field, it was perfect for the situation.

He thought that, just maybe, this was probably Fusion's way of lending him power. Not that Yuri _needed_ help. But it was a nice feeling, having the support of someone.

"Next, I summon Predaplant Cordyceps!"

A disgusting, shriveled plant appeared on the field. Its roots latched onto the floor. On its stem that connected to its main body, a red, angry-looking protrusion chomped wildly at the air. **(ATK 0)**

Now the fun was going to begin!

"I tune my Level 1 Predaplant Cordyceps with my Level 6 Predaplant Banksia Ogre!"

Banksia Ogre jumped into the air and let its body break apart. Now existing as six separate rings, it contained Cordyceps as it jumped onto the scene.

"Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings, and strike down your enemies at the speed of light! Synchro Summon! Level 7, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

Descending to the field was Clear Wing. It let out a mighty, loud roar as it flew down. The dragon landed right in front of Yugo and looked back at him. **(ATK 2500)**

Yuri egao'd wickedly. "Battle! Tear him apart, Dragostapelia!"

The dragon-like monster flew across the field, teeth and claws bared. It let out a howl of hunger as it ploughed forward, ready to devour the Doktor.

The Doktor raised a hand to the monster. "Parasite Pendulum's effect: by banishing a Parasite monster from my field or Graveyard, I can negate an attack!"

The Doktor was surrounded by a force of light, and the image of Fusion Parasite 2 briefly appeared over him. Dragostapelia's claws crashed into the barrier, but it was unable to break through.

Yuri scoffed. "Hmmph. Clear Wing, your turn to fly."

While Dragostapelia flew back to Yuri, Clear Wing zoomed across the field. It held up a hand and brought it down towards the Doktor.

"Again!" the Doktor declared. "Parasite Pendulum's effect: by banishing a Parasite monster from my field or Graveyard, I can negate an attack!"

The Doktor was surrounded by a force of light. This time, the image of the white Fusion Parasite appeared over him. Clear Wing's claw crashed into the barrier and, just like Dragostapelia, it was unable to destroy them.

Clear Wing floated over to Yuri's side of the field, beside Dragostapelia. The Doktor could see both Yuri and his Clear Wing put their hands on their hips and sigh.

"I guess I'll end my turn, then," Yuri said, sounding rather bored. "I wish you didn't draw out this match though; you're just wasting my time, waiting for your inevitable loss."

Yuri ended his turn with two cards in his hand. He had Predaplant Dragostapelia (equipped with a Fusion Parasite) and Clear Wing Synchro Dragon on his side of the field. His Life Points were at a comfortable 4000.

* * *

The Doktor pulled a card from the top of his deck. Counting what he drew, his hand now consisted of a grand total of _one_ card.

"I activate the Spell Card, Pendulum Parasite Fusion," he declared. "I can Fusion Summon a Parasite from my Extra Deck. If I control no monsters, and my opponent controls two or more monsters, I can conduct a Fusion Summon, using Parasite monsters in my Pendulum Zones!"

A swirling vortex or blue and orange appeared above the Doktor. The columns of light vanished, and the Pendulum parasites descending into the vortex. Their bodies dissolved into each other, becoming a blob that struggled to take a new form.

"The inner voices speak in harmony. They become one, and become the wicked beast that feasts on our enemies! Level 4! Parasite Grubber!"

The blob fell out of the vortex, then took the shape of an enormous Fusion Parasite. Only it lacked any legs, and its body was longer and fatter. It had a human mouth, which hung open. **(ATK 200)**

"This is very disgusting and all," Serena said. "But I fail to see how this'll help you."

"Check the effect, Celery," Yuri told her.

Serena looked down on her Disk's screen, then tapped on Parasite Grubber's card. An expanded image of the card opened on her screen.

"So it can conduct a Fusion Summon, using itself and monsters equipped with a Fusion Parasite..." she explained. "And it can be used in in place of a specific monster."

Serena looked up to the field. A fusion vortex had opened up in the middle of the field. Its strong pull dragged a reluctant Dragostapelia towards it, while Parasite Grubber pulled its own body forward. The monsters met at the middle, and their bodies were forcibly pushed together.

The material required: Parasite Queen + one or more Fusion monsters. Something that could perfectly counter any agents of Academia who would try to go rogue.

"The inner voices sing hymns for their queen!" The Doktor cried out. "Praise be her name, and let her silence those who speak harm of her children! Fusion Summon! Level 9, Parasite High Queen!"

An enormous Parasite Queen ripped through the vortex. Standing much higher than others of her kind, she sported a regular-sized more humanoid face. She had large, human arms, while also sporting vibrant, transparent wings on her back. Long antennae ran up from her forehead. **(ATK 1500)**

"When the High Queen is summoned, I can add a Parasite monster to my hand."

The Doktor's deck shuffled, and a card was ejected from the top. With his unusually long and slender fingers, he pulled out the card and added it to his hand.

Serena let out a small, relieved sigh. "So your Fusion's a worse Parasite Queen?"

"Effects, Serena," Yuri reminded her.

"Oh, right. Lemme check."

"No need!" the Doktor exclaimed happily. "Parasite Queen's other effect: once per turn, I can pay any amount of Life Points, and that same amount will be added to its ATK!"

That was when the match took a turn for the worse.

The Doktor stepped out onto the field. He walked straight towards Yuri and Serena, a malicious smile on his face.

"Stay back!" Serena barked. "If you try and touch me, I'll uppercut that smile off your face!"

The Doktor stopped, but he kept smiling. He now stood directly in front of his monster. He let out a small, smug chuckle.

Parasite High Queen's face dissolved, leaving a gaping hole a the top of its neck. The monster's hands grabbed hold of the Doktor and lifted him above the field.

Serena gasped in horror. Instantly, she could tell what she was witnessing. "N-no..."

The monster brought the Doktor down, into its hole. The neck gurgled and gagged it started to swallow the Doktor. His body was pulled deeper and deeper into the monster, until most of his body had disappeared.

The only thing left of the Doktor was his grinning face, now covering up the hole. He had now replaced the queen's old face with his own. **(Doktor: 4400 → 2200) (Parasite High Queen ATK 1500 → 3700)**

The Doktor looked down at the kids below him. The took in the horror in Serena's eyes. He relished how even Yuri seemed unnerved by what he had done. Their simple minds couldn't appreciate his work, which meant that he succeeded in being brilliant.

"I want you to look at my work!" the Doktor shouted. " _This_ is humanity's future! Evolved bodies! Evolved beings! And I'll be the one who leads them to greatness!"

* * *

 _ **A/N: I decided to re-imagine the Doktor's deck a bit here. It still focuses on giving the enemy Parasites, but it also involves Fusion Summoning multiple times, like Serena's Lunalights. But with the Doktor's deck, getting Parasite monsters in the Graveyard is a key part to his deck.**_

 _ **Here, I'm assuming Parasite Queen's materials are "Fusion Parasite + 1 Fusion Monster." The Doktor's deck here lists Fusion Parasite as material for all his Fusion Monsters, so Fusion Parasite can use its effects. Most of his Main Deck monsters are also treated as Fusion Parasite when Special Summoned.**_

 _ **Next time: Yuri and Serena continue their duel against the Doktor, who brings forth more horrors from his deck.**_


	42. Class 10: Entomophobia

_**A/N: You know, I actually like the Doktor. He's a fascinating villain, he has a great design, and he's another character that's not afraid to push the envelope. As bad a person as he is, he's a very entertaining character. And I ended up headcanonning a whole life story for him.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: Most people in the Fusion Dimension don't believe in skunk apes. The Xyz Dimension is more divided on the matter. But skunk apes are a somewhat popular figure in the Synchro Dimension, and a lot of the people there are believers.**_

 _ **Description: The Doktor continues to be gross.**_

* * *

Serena turned to Yuri. "You really should have used Clear Wing's effect when you had the chance."

"Hey, look. We all make mistakes," Yuri said. "You never read card effects."

"My mistake isn't risking our chances of winning."

"Yet."

Serena growled, and Yuri pouted defiantly. The two glared at each other for a split second, then turned away from each other.

"Not like it would have mattered, anyway," Yuri said out loud. "Read High Queen's card effect; its effects can't be negated."

"Precisely!" the Doktor chimed in. "The Professor wanted to make sure that I wouldn't lose so easily in a duel, so I was gifted with powerful cards!"

Ignoring the Doktor for a moment, Serena turned to Yuri and said, "Why didn't you just say that before? Then you would't have gotten yelled at!"

"Can you blame me!" Yuri said with an egao. "I like you when you're mad."

Serena blushed. "Damn it, Yuri... Focus on pissing off the Doktor; he's the enemy here."

The Doktor stared down at the field below him. From here, Yuri, Serena and their cards were like ants to him. Inferior creatures, less evolved than him. Ants that could be crushed with a single step.

He pulled up his left arm. A large Duel Disk blade jutted out from the side. And in his right hand, the card he drew slid out from underneath his skin.

"I summon Fusion Parasite's Worker!"

He lifted up his hand and placed a card onto his blade. Appearing before him was a much, much smaller parasite. It was smaller than other Fusion Parasites, and was a pale pink. It seemed underdeveloped, in a way. Like it was born prematurely. **(ATK 200)**

"When Parasite's Worker is Normal Summoned, I can add a Parasite Spell card from my deck to my hand."

The creature's back started to throb. The thin purple veins rose from its back, pulling up a card from its body. The veins rose up high, towards the Doktor, who grabbed the card between two fingers.

"Continuous Spell, Parasite Infestation, activate!"

He placed the card on his blade, and the card appeared on its field. It depicted what appeared to be an atrophied brain, with worm-like appendages rising from the crevises. A few Fusion Parasites could be seen crawling on the brain.

Serena cringed at the sight of the card. "Why does your deck have to be so disgusting?"

"Infestation's effect!" the Doktor explained. "Once per turn, I can Special Summon a Parasite Token to my side of the field. Then, I can equip it to any monster."

A Fusion Parasite walked out of Infestation's artwork. It floated across the field and landed on Clear Wing's chest. Its tiny legs dug into the dragon's body.

Yuri felt up his forehead. He could feel a tinge of pain. He could feel... Clear Wing's pain? That was his guess, but he wasn't completely sure.

"A Parasite Token created by this effect is treated as Fusion Parasite," the Doktor continued. "And by Parasite High Queen's effect, Parasite monsters gain 500 ATK for each Fusion Parasite on the field, and other monsters lose 500 ATK and DEF for each Fusion Parasite equipped to them!"

 **(Clear Wing Synchro Dragon ATK 2500 → 2000) (Parasite High Queen 3700 → 4200) (Fusion Parasite's Worker 200 → 700)**

"Why do all these bad guys have cards like this?" Serena groaned. "They always have a million effects."

"It probably makes it harder for you to read the effects," Yuri agreed.

The Doktor cleared his throat, drawing the attention of his opponents, and Clear Wing. The three of them looked right up to his face.

"Are you two done?" he asked them.

"Sick bants are my thing," Yuri said. "It's what makes me so lovable and appealing."

"If you're done now... Parasite High Que-"

"Hey, question."

The Doktor raised an eyebrow. "What is it? Do you have a question about my work? My cards?"

"Yeah."

"Go on."

"Who do you think is in the right?" Yuri asked. "Me, or Sabrina?"

The Doktor didn't answer.

"It's me, right?"

"I-"

"It's me... Yeah, it's me."

"Battle!" the Doktor declared. "We attack your Clear Win Synchro Dragon!"

The Doktor raised his right arm, then brought it down on the field. Clear Wing rose up to catch the fists in its arms, apparently trying to fight off the attack. But its body began to shake, and it continued to struggle in vain.

 _"Action Card: Selection of Miracle!"_

That was Serena's voice. The Doktor turned his head to her side of the field, only to find her a little closer than expected; she was standing on one of the platforms generated for the Action Duel.

"I can choose to activate one of two effects!" Serena went on. "Either battle damage from this battle is halved, or monsters can't be destroyed by this battle."

The Doktor could feel Clear Wing start to falter under his hand as its hold grew weaker. The monster wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.

His attention was drawn away from the battle by Yuri's cackle. He put less focus on fighting Clear Wing, and put more focus on watching Yuri. "What's so funny?"

"This!" said Serena

From the corner of his eye, the Doktor could see Serena's arm pull back. A card was sent flying down to Yuri, landing by his feet.

Yuri knelt down to the floor, then picked up a card below him. He danged the Action Card in front of his opponent, before placing it on his Duel Disk.

"Action Card: Fortune Sword," he said. "Until the end of this turn, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon gains 400 ATK."

Clear Wing pushed itself away from the Doktor. A sword with a silver-colored blade appeared in its right hand. **(Clear Wing Synchro Dragon ATK 2000 → 2400)**

"Adults are so easy to manipulate!" Yuri laughed. "So easy to distract with some words and banter."

"Like we'd fight each other in the middle of a duel!" Serena yelled. "We've been playing you this whole time."

"So the fighting was to get me to let my guard down..." the Doktor said. "And the boy talking to me, that was also part of the plan?"

"It was Serena's idea," Yuri replied.

"Now you have to watch both of us at all times," Serena said. "Or you focus on one, and take a risk."

The Doktor smiled and nodded. Though it was annoying to be tricked, he could appreciate their planning and underhanded tactics. Had they, like the Professor, not strayed from Academia's goals, they would have done him proud.

It reminded him of his own children, and how intelligent they were. His _parasite_ children moreso, to be perfectly honest.

"Yuri, decision time!" Serena yelled. "Selection of Miracle: which effect do you want?"

Yuri looked up to his dragon. The monster looked back down at him, meeting his gaze. For a moment, so words were shared between them. But both of them were able to convey thoughts, _plans_ , on how they should carry on.

"Clear Wing cannot be destroyed by battle," Yuri said.

"Right," Serena agreed nodding. "The effect's been chosen, and Clear Wing will be safe."

The Doktor nodded in agreement. Now, the duel could resume.

He brought his fist down on Clear Wing once more. The monster put up less of a resistance, as it put both of its hands around the hilt of the sword. The Doktor could feel the blade digging into the side of his hand, trying to pierce through him.

Ultimately, Clear Wing was shattered. The Doktor pulled back his hand from the scene, letting droplets of green liquid drop to the floor. **(Yuri: 4000 → 2200)**

"I'll end my turn here," the Doktor said. "Serena, I look forward to seeing what you can do."

The Doktor ended his turn with 2200 Life Points. He had himself/Parasite High Queen on the field, along with a Fusion Parasite's Worker, and Parasite Infestation. He had no cards in his hand.

"At this time, the effect of Fortune Sword ends," Yuri explained. "Clear Wing's ATK returns to normal."

 **(Clear Wing Synchro Dragon ATK 2400 → 2000)**

* * *

Serena drew a third card for her hand. Unlike the Doktor, she was focused on conserving resources as best as she could. Moving fast was good, but it could also lead to costly mistakes.

"Parasite Grubber's Graveyard effect!" the Doktor announced. "During your Standby Phases, you lose 100 Life Points!"

Serena could feel a small drain to her Life Points. it was like the life was being drained out of her. But at a mere 100 Life Points, the feeling was small, and passed her by quickly. **(Serena: 4000 → 3900)**

"And my Parasite Lifeslice's effect: I gain 200 Life Points during your Standby Phases." **(Doktor: 2200 → 2400)**

The Doktor looked down on his Duel Disk arm. A small screen appeared on his arm; looked like his Duel Disk didn't grow alongside him or the blade. He delicately tapped at the screen with his fingers. Serena had to wonder if he was typing out a message to someone. If that was the case, that meant that she had to be a little more proactive.

"I discard Lunalight Black Sheep!" Serena explained. "This lets me add a Polymerization to my hand."

Serena pulled a card from her deck. Immediately after adding it to her hand, she pulled another card out from her hand and placed it on the blade. "Next, I summon Lunalight White Rabbit!"

Lunalight White Rabbit materialized onto the field, to the left of Serena's face-down monster. **(ATK 800)**

"When it's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Lunalight monster from my Graveyard, in Defense Position."

The white rabbit-girl lifted up her hammer. She slammed its head onto the ground, and a crescent moon appeared where it landed. As she pulled up her hammer, the body of Black Sheep slowly floated up from the moon. **(DEF 600)**

"So, you've given yourself a lot of Fusion material," the Doktor mused. "But will that be enough to defeat us?"

"I'm not done!" Serena yelled. "Lunalight White Rabbit's effect! Once per turn, I can target Spell and Trap cards my opponent controls, up to the number of other Lunalight cards you control; your cards are returned to your hand!"

White Rabbit spun her hammer over her head. This time, when her hammer hit the ground, a shock wave was felt through the room. The parasite on Clear Wing's body started to whine and shake. Its body started to crack, and it shattered into sparkling dust.

 **(Clear Wing Synchro Dragon ATK 2000 → 2500) (Fusion Parasite's Worker ATK 700 → 200) (Parasite High Queen ATK 4200 → 3700)**

"Finally! My monster is cleansed!" Yuri exclaimed happily. "Satisfactory job as always, Serena!"

Serena held out her Polymerization. "I activate Polymerization! Lighalights White Rabbit and Black Sheep will come together, swarm in a vortex of the moon's gravity and revive with a new power!"

Her monsters rose up, then melded together in the light of the fusion vortex. Their two bodies become one, and their new form leapt onto the field. The monster moved its hips to un unheard rhythm, and she ended her movements with a dramatic pose.

"Come forth! Level 7, Lunalight Cat Dancer!" **(ATK 2400)**

"And it was at this moment that the Doktor realized how badly he fucked up," Yuri said. "He looked at his field and said, _Oh no! I was a total idiot and left a weak monster out on my field, in Attack Position! Now I'm going to get my ass kicked by a little girl!_ "

"When Black Sheep is used as Fusion Material, I can add a Lunalight monster from my Graveyard, or face-up in my Extra Deck, to my hand. I recall my Lunalight White Rabbit."

"Go get 'em, Celery!" Yuri cheered.

"I'm gonna use Cat Dancer's first effect!" Serena declared. "By Tributing another Lunalight monster, it can attack all of my opponent's monster's, twice each. However, they won't be destroyed the first time."

The facedown monster vanished from the field. Cat Dancer's daggers started to elongate, making them seem much more dangerous.

A frown fell from the Doktor's mouth. Indeed, it was at that moment that the Doktor realized that he _did_ "fuck up," as Yuri had said. He silently cursed himself for carelessly leaving a defenseless parasite out to slaughter.

He turned his head around, scanning the field for any Action Cards. If these little brats could use them, so could he.

As he turned his large body around, he could hear Serena's voice: "Battle! And whenever Lunalight Cat Dancer declares an attack, 100 points of damage are inflicted to your Life Points!" **(Doktor: 2400 → 2300)**

Finally, the Doktor was able to find a card right atop of a tank. He pulled his body twards it, and he pushed away any floating platforms that blocked his path.

He grabbed hold of the card, slammed it onto his blade, and threw his head towards the others. "Action Card: Defender! My monster is set into Defense Position, and it gains 500 DEF." **(Parasite's Worker ATK 200 → DEF 600)**

"Action Card: Piercing Lance!" Yuri announced. "Cat Dancer can inflict piercing damage this battle, so your card hardly matters. Sad!"

The Doktor looked down at the field. Lunalight Cat Dancer stabbed one of her daggers into the body of his parasite. The insect let out a small, pained whimper, and its legs collapsed under it. **(Doktor 2300 → 600)**

The Doktor quickly turned back around. As much as it pained him to leave his monster defenseless, he needed to search for an Action Card. Victory above all else.

He moved down the room. Though his body was big and bulky now, he was able to move around a little faster. He could grab platforms and throw them to the ground, search the top of high shelves and machinery, and get a good view of the lab below.

The Action Cards seemed to be a little scarce now, he thought. With three people constantly going after them, it was no wonder. But he was able to spot one nestled between the keys of his keyboard.

His hand cracked the keyboard when he grabbed hold of the card. His new body's strength was something he was still getting used to. But hopefully, the card would help him.

 **(Doktor 600 → 500)**

He turned back to the field when he heard his Worker's whimper. He had just missed its second attack, destroying it.

"I'll end my turn here," Serena said. "Yuri, it's up to you now."

Serena ended her turn with a card in her hand, two facedown Spell or Trap cards, and Lunalight Cat Dancer on the field. Her Life Points were at 3900, giving her the highest total out of everyone.

* * *

 **(Doktor 500 → 700) (Yuri: 2200 → 2100)**

"You can count on me!" Yuri told her.

Yuri looked at the card he drew: Performapal Skullcrobat Joker. Was this Yuya's way of helping him, too? Looking at the other two cards in his hand, he could tell what the cards wanted him to do.

"I summon Performapal Skullcrobat Joker."

A blond, humanoid monster materialized onto the field. The man tipped his top hat to the opponent, giving him an egao as he did so. **(ATK 1800)**

"When Skullcrobat Joker is Normal Summoned, I can add a Performapal, Odd-Eyes or Magician card to my hand. And I'm adding Purple Poison Magician to my hand."

Yuri's deck spit out a card. He pulled it out with two delicate fingers. Then he shifted a card from his hand beside it, and presented them both to his opponent.

"With my Scale 1 Purple Poison Magician, and my Scale 8 Double Iris Magician, I set the Pendulum Scales."

Two columns of light shone on either side of Yuri. The Magicians appeared in the columns, then rose up to the sky. Once they reached the top, their numbers appeared below them, and a large pendulum circled above them.

"When I control two Magicians in my Pendulum Zones, I can Special Summon Tuning Magician from my hand, and I lose 400 Life Points."

Yuri placed a card on his blade. Rising up from the card was the image of an egao-ing, happy girl. A large, tuning fork-like staff appeared beside her, floating in the air. **(DEF 0) (Yuri: 2100 → 1700)**

"You're not going to Pendulum Summon?" Serena asked him.

"I only use the power of Fusion," Yuri replied. "Now, I tune my Level 7 Clear Wing Synchro Dragon with my Tuning Magician!"

The young magician floated above Clear Wing. Its body transformed into a green ring, which floated down to embrace the dragon. Clear Wing itself split into seven orbs of light, which lined up inside the ring.

"Shine the wings that store the holy light, and strike down your enemies with its radiance! " Yuya chanted. "Synchro Summon! Level 8, Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon!"

The rings and orbs joined together, forming a large silhouette of a dragon. The silhouette flew high over the rooftops, before faded away to reveal a beautiful, radiant dragon. **(ATK 3000)**

Serena immediately took off towards a platform. She leapt onto the platform, pulled herself up, and started running towards another.

"Crystal Wing attacks Parasite High Queen," Yuri declared. "And when it battles a Level 5 or higher monster, it gains ATK equal to your monster's current attack. Tragic!"

From high above, Crystal Wing flew from the sky. A stream of blue light trailed behind it, following the dragon and illuminating the sky. Crystal Wing zoomed towards the battlefield, flying directly towards the Doktor.

"Crystallos Edge of Gale!" Yuri cried out. **(Crystal Wing ATK 3000 → 6700)**

"Action Card: Draining Barrier!" the Doktor yelled. "Your attack is negated and I gain Life Points equal to your monster's original ATK!"

He threw his Action Card onto his blade. A large, circular shield appeared on his Duel Disk, and a dome of light surrounded him. Crystal Wing's claw struck the shield. Sparks flew, and shock waves of energy shook through the room.

The shield cracked in half, then fell to the ground and shattered. The barrier over the Doktor faded. And he was still standing after all this time, unhurt. **(Doktor 700 → 3700)**

"Action Card: Camp Raid!" Serena shouted. "Doktor, you lose Life Points equal to the number of monsters your opponents control, multiplied by 300!"

Parcels fell from the sky above the Doktor, floating down on small parachutes. The parcels unraveled, and cannon balls fell over the Doktor. **(Doktor 3700 → 3100)**

The Doktor pulled his hands away from his face. To his surprise, Yuri was now on a platform. He was now eye-level with the Doktor, albeit still a good distance away. Yuri gave the Doktor a menacing, almost _depraved_ egao. Now the Doktor was starting to understand why Yuri was so scary: he had no fear. The Doktor could tell that, no matter what he threw at the boy to scare him, Yuri would have something scarier planned when given the chance.

Why was Jean taking so long to send soldiers?

"So you survived," Yuri said, waggling his finger. "Good boy. I like when they try and hardest to fight back."

Yuri ended his turn with no cards in his hand, and Crystal Wing and Skullcrobat Joker on his field, along with his two Pendulum Scales. Although his Life Points were the lowest, at 1700, he was confident in his and Serena's skills would make this a nonissue.

* * *

The Doktor was careful when drawing a card from his deck. Although he scratched the back of the card, he was able to pull it out without seriously damaging his Duel Disk or cards.

"I use the effect of Parasite Infestation," he explained. "I create a Parasite Token, and equip it to a monster on the field."

Another Parasite appeared from Infestation's card. This time, it floated over to Lunalight Cat Dancer. It spread its legs and grappled onto Cat Dancer's abdomen, wrapping her in a tight hug. Cat Dancer attempted to push the creature with her hands, to stab it in the face. But the hold it had was too tight, and it refused to let go. **(Cat Dancer ATK 2400 → 1900) (High Queen ATK 3700 → 4200)**

The Doktor pit a finger to his chin. "Let me think... 4200 minus 2400 is 1800, yes? That wouldn't be enough to deplete all of your Life Points."

He placed his drawn card onto his Duel Disk. A Normal Spell, depicting two Fusion Parasites between a dashing pendulum.

"Parasitic Pendulum Pull allows me to add a face-up Parasite Pendulum monster from my Extra Deck to my hand. I pick Parasite Pendulum, and set it in my Pendulum Zone."

A column of blue light appeared to the Doktor's left. His Parasite Pendulum rose into the sky, and its number appeared below it. But no pendulum appeared in the sky.

 **(High Queen ATK 4200 → 4700)**

"But that's still not enough to win, is it?" the Doktor mused. "So I will have to pay the difference here."

The Doktor's body started to tighten and loosen. The skin on his face seemed to tighten, and his eyes bulged out. Though he seemed to be struggling to keep himself from letting more of his body fall into his monster, he kept up a pleasant grin.

Serena could feel Rin and Ruri's presence. She looked to either side of herself, to see them looking just as horrified as she was. Ruri had her hands clutched to her chest, and Rin looked like she was struggling to hold back tears. Struggling and feeling.

Serena had to agree with them. As much as they all hated to admit it, they were worrying for the Doktor's safety.

Tears started to run down the Doktor's face. He gritted his teeth, but tried to cover up his pained whimpers with a laugh.

 **(Doktor: 3100 → 1500 ) (High Queen ATK 4700 → 6100)**

The laughter stopped. The skin on the Doktor's face was still tight ,and still making him look tortured. But he kept on smiling at them, as if he experienced the most pleasant experience in his life.

It wasn't very convincing, though; his cold, shaking eyes betrayed his smile and demeanor.

"B-battle!" he declared. "We attack Lunalight Cat Dancer!"

The Doktor extended his hands out as he moved forward. His body seemed to be a little faster than before, and its strides were greater. He was able to close the gap real quickly.

Yuri wasn't going to let the Doktor have his way, of course. he jumped from his platform and...

Fell into the Doktor's open hand.

"The hell?" Yuri wondered. "You can let me go at any time, queen."

The Doktor looked down on him. "I won't let you interfere here."

The Doktor quickly spun around, turned his hand upside down, and let Yuri fall to the ground. Yuri landed on his feet, but soon fell to his knees. It was a bit of a rough landing.

Unfortunately for Yuri, his enemy was on the move. He scuttled toward Serena, holding his arms forward. Serena jumped from her platform and onto a lower one, and then landed on the ground.

She looked around desperately. So far, she couldn't see anything. She was running out of time, she couldn't...

There! She spotted something near the door!

"Goodbye, my test subject," the Doktor told her.

And then, the sound of a dragon's roar. Both Yuri and the Doktor looked up in the air to see Crystal Wing. The monster was diving through the air, heading right for the Doktor.

"Ah, Crystal Wing!" Yuri gasped. "You got this!"

Crystal Wing desperately slammed itself into the Doktor's side, forcing him to stumble in step. The Doktor quickly threw his body at the monster and swatted it away from him.

Yuri looked over to Serena. She was on her hands and knees, scrounging at the floor. But she soon seemed to find what she needed, because she something up from the floor.

Serena looked back to the field. "Action Card: Attack Force! Lunalight Cat Dancer gains 700 ATK!" **(Cat Dancer ATK 1900 → 2600)**

The Doktor pushed Crystal Wing away from him. He quickly threw himself forward and dropped a leg down on Cat Dancer.

"Cat Dancer can't be destroyed by battle!" Serena declared. "She's safe!"

The Doktor lifted his foot, looking down at the monster below him. Though she was not destroyed, the monster found herself crumbled under his weight. She struggled to rise up from the ground, and could only manage to stand on her knees.

 **(Serena: 3900 → 200)**

Serena ran towards the field. Yuri ran towards her. They ran right towards each other and stopped before the other.

Yuri looked Serena up and down. From all the running, jumping, and dueling she'd been doing, she was left breathing heavily. But she still had that determined look in her eyes.

Serena looked Yuri up and down. Despite his running, jumping, falling and dueling he'd been engaged in, he seemed rather calm and relaxed. In fact, the usual look of contempt in his eyes was gone.

The two gave each other a nod, then walked away. They each took their proper positions on the field.

While this went on, the Doktor examined the screen of his Duel Disk. So far, no response from Jean. Or anybody. What was holding the man up? Didn't he know how important it was to keep the parasites going?

With a sigh, the Doktor turned his attention back to the duel. "I'll end my turn here, kiddies. But rest assured, I can't let you end my work here. Not without a fight."

The Doktor ended his turn with a powered-up Parasite High Queen, Parasite Infestation in his Spell/Trap Zone, and a Pendulum card in his Pendulum Zone. His Life Points were at 1500.

He was confident in his chances of winning now. He could banish Parasites to prevent Crystal Wing from attacking, thus removing it as a threat, until he could draw a card that could rid of it entirely. He had no worries about Yuri's deck, and Serena would be wiped out soon.

Still, he felt a little uneasy with Yuri. He decided to watch the duel carefully, and see what threat Yuri could muster up.

* * *

 _This was it_ , Serena told herself. _It's only a matter of time before reinforcements come to help the Doktor. Or before I lose. I need to do this. Please, let me draw a good card..._

Serena drew a card from her deck. She could feel her heart beating in her chest, _pounding_. With a bit of hesitation, she turned over the card to see what she drew.

It was blank.

 _"Son of a-"_ she snapped. _"Damn it! Fuck!"_

Yuri turned to look at her. "What? You bricked, didn't you?"

"I- I drew a blank card!" Serena protested? _"How?_ _ **How?**_ _"_

"Maybe you shouldn't have put a blank card in your deck."

"Bite me, Yuri."

"Love to."

"You know I didn't put the card in there."

The Doktor cleared his throat. "During your Standby Phase, I gain 200 Life Points, and you lose 100."

Serena could feel the pain of Grubber's pull. The card was draining her from beyond the grave. Though she kept herself standing, she was starting to feel faint.

 **(Doktor: 1500 → 1700 ) (Serena: 200 → 100)**

Serena looked at her Duel Disk's screen, seeing her Life Points. She was hanging on by a thread, and the Doktor grew stronger.

Had he given his monster 100 more ATK, she would have been gone that turn. But that was probably the Doktor's plan: ensure that she got this turn, so he could gain Life Points during her Standby Phase, and watch Grubber finish her off.

"Serena!" Yuri projected. "Try playing the card. Maybe something cool will happen!"

Serena nodded. She placed the blank card on the Duel Disk's blade, right beside Cat Dancer's card.

 _ERROR._

... Well. She wasn't quite sure what she was expecting to happen there. Maybe it needed to be placed in the Spell/Trap Zone?

 _ERROR._

Pendulum Zone?

 _ERROR._

Field Spell Zone?

 _ERROR._

Graveyard? Does it need to be in the Banished Zone?

 _ERROR. ERROR._

Serena pulled the card off of her Disk, much to her displeasure. What, did she have to ride a bike in order to get it to work? What could she possibly do to make this card work?

Serena sighed. _No sense worrying about it now._

"I activate one of my facedown cards!" Serena declared. "Spell Card, Luna Light Perfume!"

The facedown and rose up. The bottle of perfume escaped from the artwork, and it lefted its stopper. A purple mist escaped from the glass and poured over Serena's field.

"Luna Light Perfume allows me to Special Summon a Lunalight monster from my Graveyard."

A hand rose from the ground. Lunalight Blue Cat clawed her way up to the field and grabbed the bottle. It shattered in her hand, and the mist gravitated toward her body. **(ATK 1600)**

"I summon a Lunalight White Rabbit from my hand," Serena continued. "When it's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Lunalight monster from my Graveyard, in Defense Position."

Lunalight White Rabbit materialized onto the field, right beside Cat Dancer. **(ATK 800)** She threw up her hammer, and brought it crashing to the ground. From the crescent moon created by the impact, Black Sheep's body rose up to join her fellow Lunalights on the field. **(DEF 600)**

"Don't forget White Rabbit's other effect!" Serena went on. "Once per turn, she can send your Spells and Traps back to your hand!"

White Rabbit spun her hammer over her head. This time, when her hammer hit the ground, a shock wave was felt through the room. The parasite on Cat Dancer started to crack, and it shattered into sparkling dust. The Pendulum Parasite (or Parasite Pendulum? Serena couldn't tell the difference) vanished from its column. The light around it started to fade, bringing darkness back to the Doktor's field.

 **(Cat Dancer ATK 1900 → 2400) (High Queen ATK 6100 → 5100)**

"And..." Serena said. "And I..."

She looked at the cards in her hand. Though the blank card was useless now, she had one card that could help.

Before they left to fight the Doktor, they came up with strategies to fight him. They agreed to search for Action Cards to help each other, to distract the Doktor whenever they could, to keep the other safe. Because if one fell, the whole mission was put into danger. Everyone would be put into danger.

Yuri let her borrow this card, but only for emergencies. He never wanted her to use it unless she absolutely _had_ to, because he didn't like the idea of someone else commanding his...

"I activate the Spell, Fusion Draft!"

Her new card appeared on her field. The art depicted armored soldiers bursting through a door. A blonde man with a bowl cut was pulled through the door by soldiers, who were dragging by his cape.

"By Tributing monsters on my hand or Field, I can activate this card," she explained. "I can look at my opponent's Extra Deck."

White Rabbit and Black Sheep vanished from the field, and five rows of three cards appeared before Serena.

"I can then choose a Fusion Monster and, if I have the required Fusion Material in my hand or on my Field, I can conduct a Fusion Summon."

She scanned through the cards. Of the fifteen cards listed before her, ten of them were Fusion Monsters. Among those cards, only three of them had requirements that she could fill. But these were good cards, and she was more than happy to have access to them.

She looked up to the Doktor. He had already turned his back and started moving through the room. Most likely, he was desperately searching for an Action Card.

Serena could hear footsteps behind her. She knew that Yuri was likely searching for stray Action Cards, too. He had her back on this one.

"I fuse my Lunalight Blue Cat, and my Lunalight Cat Dancer!"

A fusion vortex opened up above her. Her two monsters danced through the air and into the vortex, and their bodies became one.

"The beautiful beast dancing in the moonlight. Blue cat that prowls through the darkness. Become one, and from the path illuminated by moonlight, revive with a new power! Fusion Summon!"

The body took the shape of the dragon, and that dragon reached out of the vortex. It ripped through the vortex and jumped onto the field before Serena. **(ATK 2800)**

The Doktor frantically scuttled out from behind the glowing tubes. He waved a card in his hand, desperately trying to draw attention to himself.

"A-Action Card!" he yelled. "F-Forced Back allows me to-"

"Action Card: No Action," Yuri stated. "Your Action Card is negated."

Serena's eyes widened. She could feel Yuri's presence behind her. She could feel his gentle voice in her ear. Yuri was just a little too close for comfort, but he was literally backing her up.

The Doktor's card appeared on his side of the field. But just as soon as it appeared, it vanished in a sea of sparkles.

The Doktor gritted his teeth. "Fine. Then I activate Fusion Parasite's Worker's Graveyard Effect: I can send a Parasite monster from my Deck to my Graveyard; then..."

Fusion Parasite's Worker appeared on the back of Starving Venom's neck. The dragon reached back to yank at the creature. But the insect dug its claws into the neck, and its body started to sink in.

"When a monster is Special Summoned: if I control a level 7 or higher Parasite monster, I can negate your monster's effects and send it to the Graveyard!"

Starving Venom's skin started to bubble and swell. It let out a horrifying screech and started to scratch at its neck. With every scratch, more sparkles and pieces of its body started to chip away.

"Starving Venom..." Yuri mumbled.

Serena turned to Yuri. "Yuri, I'm sorry. I didn't know-"

Yuri gently pushed Serena away. He ran straight towards his dragon, waving a hand to grab its attention.

"Starving Venom!" he called out. "At this time, Crystal Wing's effect activates: if another monster's effect is activated, I can negate it!"

"That's not going to work!" the Doktor interrupted. "I sent my Effect Parasite to the Graveyard! When Effect Parasite is in the Graveyard, I can equip it to another monster and negate its effect!"

Serena looked to Crystal Wing. A pale green parasite had climbed onto its neck. Its pincers dug into its body, forcing the dragon to land on the ground.

Serena slammed her blank card onto the blade. _ERROR._ Again. _ERROR._ Again. _ERROR._

"Please!" Serena begged. "I can't let this happen... !"

Yuri was too focused on Starving Venom. He quickly made his way over to the dragon and reached out to touch it. But the second his hand touched his monster's back, Starving Venom shattered. All that remained were sparkles, which fell over the duelist.

"Yuri..." Serena said softly.

Yuri didn't answer her. Instead, he simply walked right by her. he returned to his spot on the field, right beside his Crystal Wing.

Serena looked to see the fruits of her efforts: a set Spell, no monsters, and a card she couldn't even use. She had Yuri, who gave her his most important monster, and she let it get destroyed. She had the Doktor, now towering above them, as a monster that they couldn't destroy.

Serena's heart sank. Finally, the reality of the situation had set in: she had nothing she could use to defeat the High Queen. If anything, she made it more difficult for Yuri to win.

She felt trapped now. Like the walls were closing in on her. She was once again forced into a situation of helplessness. But this time, it was all because of her own actions.

He looked at the blank card in her hand and thought, _Please. Please, please, please! Just... just work!_

Nothing.

She looked to Yuri. He was not looking at her, but glaring at the Doktor. She could tell that he was putting all his focus on hating their enemy right now.

"Yuri," she said meekly. "Yuri, I'm sorry!"

"Save it, Serena," he said curtly. "I'll take care of this for us."

Serena clenched her fists. She... she didn't want this. To leave it all to Yuri, to have him save the day alone... To clean up her mess.

She didn't care about how claustrophobic the situation made her feel. She didn't care about winning or losing, herself. She didn't care about how strong the Doktor was.

If she had one wish now, it was to help Yuri. To not let him do this alone.

Serena looked back at her hand once more, begging for something, _anything_. And she found something that made her heart skip a beat.

The card wasn't blank anymore.

"Continuous Spell, activate!" Serena cried out. "En Cereus!"

Serena placed the card on her blade. The card's image appeared on the field; its art depicted a sigma symbol, nestled in the petals of a pale white flower.

"By Banishing monsters from my field, or in any player's Graveyard, I can Fusion Summon a monster. But when En Cereus is destroyed, the monster is destroyed."

A fusion vortex appeared above her head. The image of Lunalight Cat Dancer, and the image of Starving Venom Fusion Dragon appeared in the center of the vortex. Their bodies melded together, taking the form of one.

"The ravenous dragon of darkness! The beautiful beast dancing in the moonlight!" Serena chanted. "Dancing under the pale moonlight, revive and become a new power!"

A new monster appeared before her. It was an extremely tall, violet-skinned woman. She had a flowing, dark purple cape of dragon scales, and shredded, skimpy clothing. Her strikingly beautiful face and green eyes could be seen inside her helmet, which took the shape of Starving Venom's head. She carried a long whip with a hook on the end, which looked very similar to the dragon's tail.

"Level 11! Lunalight Dragon Dancer!" **(ATK 3800)**

The Doktor let out a small, stifled groan. Sweat started to drip down from his forehead. From all of his body, really. He took a step backwards. He was no longer smiling.

 _"W-we can feel it..."_ he whispered. "So-so much life energy. So much. Too much. Too much."

He put his hands on his head. _"It hurts us!"_

Serena turned to look at Yuri. She saw him staring at her monster in wonder. His bright face was looking the monster up and down, excitedly taking in what he was seeing.

"Starving Venom..." he said quietly. "I can tell, it's you in there."

He egao'd. "Serena! You have my permission to go and kick the Doktor's ass for me."

Serena looked down at Dragon Dancer's card. "No, Yuri. _You're_ going to kick the Doktor's ass for me. Spell, activate!"

Serena's facedown rose up. Its art depicted a pink envelope with a heart sticker. It was stuffed into a shelf. A lipstick miss was made at the bottom right of the envelope.

"Return Letter!" Serena announced. "This card allows my opponent to choose between two effects: they take control of one of my monsters, or I gain 1000 Life Points."

She looked back to Yuri. "Do you accept my letter, and our monster?"

Yuri looked to her and egao'd. "Eh? How could I refuse?"

"Then the deal is made; Yuri gains control of Lunalight Dragon Dancer."

The monster jumped forward. In a single leap, she crossed onto Yuri's side of the field, right beside Crystal Wind.

"I end my turn here," Serena concluded. "Yuri?"

* * *

Yuri nodded. "Serena."

He drew a card. And as much as it pained him, he was betrayed by his own Standby Phase; the Doktor gained his 200 Life Points, and Yuri lost 100. **(Yuri: 1700 → 1600) (Doktor: 1700 → 1900)**

The Doktor wasn't looking, though. He was throwing machinery aside, throwing chairs and tables. He was turning his lab upside down in a desperate bid to find an Action Card.

"No! No!" he man pleaded. "There _has_ to be one around here!"

Yuri looked at the card he drew. Black Fang Magician. A card he didn't need right then, but carried a certain meaning for him... Took Yuto long enough to come around to him.

"I activate Lunalight Dragon Dancer's effect!" Yuri said happily. "I can Tribute a monster I control; Dragon Dancer gains ATK equal to half of its original ATK."

Dragon Dancer unraveled her whip. She cast it to her side, letting the rope wrap around Crystal Wing's neck. She tugged harder and harder, until the force of her movements caused Crystal Wing to shatter.

 **(Dragon Dancer ATK 3800 → 5300)**

The Doktor threw his desk aside. He was becoming more frantic in his search for cards.

"Battle!" Yuri yelled. "Lunalight Dragon Dancer attacks Parasite High Queen!"

The Doktor turned to look at the monster. He threw his computer, his chair, his papers. Anything he could to try and half the monster's attack.

Dragon Dancer fought it all off. She punched the items away, or struck them with her whip. And once she was within range, she cast her whip around the Doktor's neck.

"I forgot to mention!" Yuri interjected. "When Dragon Dancer destroys a monster in battle: can inflict damage to you, equal equal to your monster's ATK."

Dragon Dancer pulled on her whip, choking the Doktor. And with a few hard tugs, the rope shattered his insect body.

 **(Doktor: 1900 → 0)**

* * *

The Doktor found himself sprawled out on the floor. In his proper, human body. His head was pounding, his body ached, and his cards had fell out of his Duel Disk, and onto the floor around him.

On the plus side, he could move his hands. When his hand touched his face, he could feel that it was no longer stretched and pained. It was only a little sore, but it was nothing like the pain he was feeling earlier.

He forced himself up into a sitting position. Now, he could see that Serena and Yuri were in front of him, looking down on him with a smug aura of superiority.

"So, do the Fusion Parasites all stop working now?" Serena asked.

"Or do we have to beat you up to stop them?" Yuri added.

The Doktor dropped his hand. It landed on a Fusion Parasite card, which stuck against his palm.

"I..." he began. "I..."

The Doktor sighed. "When Duelists lose, their Duel Disks go into a _power save_ mode, which locks the duelist out of certain benefits, while recovering from the loss of Life-"

"Keep it short, Dok," Serena advised him.

"Right, right. The short of it is, the Parasites have been turned off, and have lost connection with me. The soldiers should have their wills back. However, the Duel Disk itself is unharmed, so the Parasites can be activated when it's done charging."

"So we just need to destroy your Duel Disk?" Yuri asked.

"Precisely," the Doktor confirmed. "Or you can card me, which has the same effects."

Now it was Serena's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Why are you telling us so much?"

"Because I want to inform you!" the Doktor responded warmly. "Consider an education my final gift to you, as a reward for your efforts."

The Doktor lifted his arm up, then grabbed hold of the Fusion Parasite card with his other hand. He tapped his Duel Disk's screen repeatedly, and a faint blade jutted out from the side.

"Of course, I fitted my Duel Disk with a back-up battery," he continued. "My Disk is nowhere near strong enough to carry on through a duel, or work on anything long-range..."

"You're not getting away!" Serena barked. She aimed her activated Duel Disk at the Doktor.

"But I should have enough power to activate a Fusion Parasite close by."

Yuri looked over to the three students. They remained on the floor, still unconscious from earlier. They weren't getting up any time soon, Yuri thought.

"And where is the Parasite?" Yuri asked. "Oh, don't tell me, it's-"

"In _me_ ," the Doktor replied.

Serena's jaw immediately dropped. "But why?"

The Doktor held the card over his Duel Disk's blade. Then he looked back to Serena and smiled.

"I can't let myself fall into enemy hands," he told her. "Consider it my cyanide pill."

"Don't do it!" Serena roared.

The Doktor slammed the card onto his Disk. His blade lit up with a bright, green light.

 _"Glory on the Academia!"_

The Doktor threw his hands over the sides of his head. His fingers massaged his large forehead. Then they pressed against his skin, and pressed harder, and harder, and harder.

He started to grit his teeth. After a moment, a small, but long whine escaped his lips. As time wore on though, his whines started to grow louder and louder.

The Doktor rocked himself back and forth, still holding his head. His movements started to speed up, and his nails started to dig into his forehead. His whines were now becoming full screams.

Serena looked to Yuri. "Yuri, we need to save him!"

Yuri looked back to her, frowning. "You sure?"

"Yuri!"

The Doktor threw himself back. He was now on the floor, rolling back and forth. His fingers started to pull and scratch his face, which was growing more and more red.

"What _can_ we do, though?" Yuri responded. "Maybe we can pull the card off of his Disk?"

Serena quickly turned to the Doktor. Both and and Yuri knelt down and reached their hands out to him, but the man quickly kicked their hands back.

 _"Rudolpho!"_ the Doktor screamed.

His body movements became more erratic and violent. He thrashed around wildly, kicking at Serena and Yuri whenever they attempted to get close to him.

And finally, he let out one long, horrible, scratchy shriek. And then he stopped screaming, ceased moving, and let his eyes close.

Serena threw her hands over her mouth. Tears started to trickle down her face. She rose up from her knees and took a step away from the scene.

"No..." she whispered.

Yuri stayed by the body. His cold eyes studied what was now before him.

"He was... He was..."

"He's alive," Yuri stated.

Serena blinked. Tears fluttered off of her eyelashes, and her vision became blurred. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, like it was deathly afraid to stop and relax its movements.

"He's breathing," Yuri continued.

"Really?" Serena asked. "Yuri, don't lie."

"He's breathing," Yuri said again. "Reiji and the Professor must have succeeded in disrupting Solid Vision."

Serena's hands fell to her sides. "So... it's over?"

Yuri rose up and turned to her. He flashed the girl a big, confident egao.

"We won," he told her.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Serena or Yuri could have solo'd the Dok and won easily, Action Cards or no. The fact that they can work well as a team made the match even more imbalanced. I didn't realize that until after I wrote the first chapter. Which is why I had to let the Doktor get really lucky with Action Cards, and the others less lucky. But because of how hard it was to balance this duel, this chapter had to go under multiple rewrites.**_

 _ **GX watchers might recognize Return Letter. It's based on an old GX card called Love Letter. I happened to stumble on this card while looking for cards that changed control of a monster, and Love Letter happened to pop up. Talk about serendipity.**_

 _ **I haven't had a chance to use my Twitter for a lot of story-related stuff. Just some polls, and behind-the-scenes details in-between arcs. I think that, after I post chapters, I'll include hints to the next chapter on Twitter. You know, so it feels less like you were scammed into following me on Twitter.**_

 _ **Next time: Gongenzaka faces off against Jean, who's playing with a completely different set of rules. Gongenzaka must decide if he can sacrifice his ideals and honor for the sake of everyone else.**_


	43. Class 11: A Samurai's Crusade

_**A/N: Only two chapters left, and the Fusion arc is over. I'm excited to get back into one-off chapters and comedic stories; this arc was very time-consuming and draining to write. But I have no regrets in making it.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: Gongenzaka is a direct descendant of a skunk ape.**_

 _ **Description: Gongenzaka and Jean duel for the security room.**_

* * *

Jean held his Duel Disk in front of his body. He activates the sword-shaped blade and aimed it at the duelist in front of him: Gorgonzola, probably.

Gongenzaka also had his Duel Disk drawn. His back was against the door, blocking any escape. His eyes shifted around the security room, making sure that Jean had no way to leave.

The room, which was about the size of a small classroom, was surprisingly spacious. Television screens lined the wall behind Jean, and spilled over to the sides of the other walls. There was a desk before the computers, where Jean had previously been stationed. A few chairs were strewn around in a corner near Jean, and a small chess board was resting on his desk. A large mirror occupied the wall on the right, and the left side of the room had soda machines.

There was a bit of distance between them. Enough distance for a duel. Enough distance to spot and stop Jean, should he try to attack him.

Jean's eyes briefly turned to a television screen. From what he could see, a few students were dragging Yuya to the Doktor.

 _Excellent. We've all but won now._

He turned his focus over to Gong Show. "Shall we begin, young man?"

Gongenzaka's blade jutted out from his Disk. He placed his hand on his deck and took a solid stance. "I'm ready when you are, Jean."

Gongenzakas' Duel Disk spoke: _"ACTION FIELD... ERROR."_

Gongenzaka blinked. He turned to look at Jean, waiting for some sort of answer. Jean merely smiled and aimed his blade at him. Gongenzaka took that as an invitation to find out the answer through a duel. And Gongenzaka had to accept.

 _ **"DUEL!"**_

* * *

It was strange: Jean didn't have any cards in his hand. But when Gongenzaka looked down on the screen, his side of the field claimed that he had five cards in his hand.

Gongenzaka also made note of the lack of Pendulum Zones, and the presence of two new Zones in the middle of the field. And it was then that he remembered something Reiji told him and the other Lancers.

 _Links._

"I'll be taking the lead," said Jean. "I summon Ancient Gear Wyvern!"

Jean tapped one of his cards and dragged it onto a Main Monster Zone. Materializing onto the field proper was an Ancient Gear Wyvern, which floated a few feet above the ground. **(ATK 1700)**

"When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, I can add one Ancient Gear card from my Deck to my hand."

Jean tapped his screen again. Looking at his screen, Gongenzaka could see that Jean's deck was missing a card, while his hand had gained an Ancient Gear Hunting Hound.

Gongenzaka looked up to face Jean. "Where are your cards?"

"All of them are virtual now, my friend!" Jean said proudly. "It's how things are done..."

"...In the Link Dimension," Gongenzaka finished.

Jean smiled. "So you know about the new field, then? Good, that will make this much more simple for you."

Jean tapped his screen again. This time, he dragged a Polymerization onto one of his Spell/Trap Zones.

"I'll fuse my Ancient Gear Wyvern with my Ancient Gear Hunting Hound!"

Wyvern rose up from the field. It, and the image of a Hunting Hound, appeared in the fusion vortex. Just like every single instance of fusion in this arc, their bodies joined together to become one.

"Mechanical beasts inheriting ancient souls. Now, form an allegiance and join, and be reborn together as a new power! Fusion Summon!"

The combined creation now became an evil-looking creature. I was like a humanoid figure with dragon-like feet and wings, but the head of a serpent. Its glowing red eyes glared daggers at its opposition

"Appear, the mechanical demon god! Level 8, Ancient Gear Howitzer!" **(DEF 1800)**

Gongenzaka said, "So, you're going to keep using your previous strategies?"

"You underestimate my brilliance," Jean replied. "I've evolved, become a more powerful man."

Jean put a hand to his face. His fingers felt his nose, his cheeks, as he moved his way down to his jaw. All while he kept his cold, steely eyes on Gonorrhea.

"Allow me to show you," he went on. "Ancient Gear Howitzer's effect: once per turn, I can inflict 1000 damage to your opponent."

Howitzer's eyes glowed. Red beams shot out from its eyes, crossing the field and hitting the ground before Gongenzaka. **(Gongenzaka: 4000 → 3000)**

"Next, I activate my Continuous Spell, Charge Bomb!" Jean announced.

In one of the Spell/Trap Zones, barrel-sized, hexagonal tube materialized. It was metallic and gray, and featured glass panes on its front and back. The number zero appeared on each pane, glowing a bright, light green.

Jean held out an open hand to Gongenzaka. His face was cold, and his eyes seemed to be looking right through his opponent.

"At the end of each turn, this card gains an Explosives Counter," he explained. "Should this card be destroyed, it will inflict damage to each player, equal to the number of counters multiplied by 500."

"So you're going to blow yourself up, too?" Gongenzaka asked.

"Only in case of an emergency," Jean explained. "I have plenty of cards to remove it, should I need to end the match and prevent my loss."

Jean waves his hand across the field.

He continued by saying, "But I won't need to do that. I can slowly reduce your Life Points, and then detonate the bomb. Or you'll remove the card."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because if you let the Counters rack up, you'll be seriously affected! So you'll need to hurry up remove it, or face the consequences."

"... And if I remove it, I'm wasting my resources," Gongenzaka added. "Instead of fighting your monsters, or taking out other cards, I'll have to take care of the bomb, instead."

"Exactly," Jean said with a smile. "It's what's called a _catch-22_ : you're damned if you do, and damned if you don't."

"That's not what a catch-22 is."

"I'll end my turn here," Jean concluded. "At this time, an Explosives Counter is placed on my Charge Bomb."

The bomb started to whir and vibrate. After a moment, the bomb let out a small puff of smoke from its top. The zeroes on its panes were replaced with ones.

* * *

As Gongenzaka drew his sixth card, his mind was already hard at work on a plan. With everyone else working to save the school, he knew he couldn't let them all down.

His eyes drifted to the screens behind Jean. Students were marching through halls. People were filing into a gymnasium. Yuya and Yuzu seemed to be confronting a man. So many people were at risk if he didn't take Jean's gaze away from them.

Gongenzaka held up a card. "If I have no Spells or Traps in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon Superheavy Samurai Big Waraji from my hand."

Two large, straw sandals appeared on the field. They clasped their bottoms together, and arms, feet, and a head rose out from their new, singular form. **(DEF 1800)**

"If I have no Spells or Traps in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon Superheavy Samurai Trumpeter from my hand."

The sound of a war horn echoed from Gongenzaka's Duel Disk. This signaled the appearance of a small robot samurai, who blew on an artificial horagai conch shell. **(DEF 600)**

Gongenzaka threw his hand up in the air. "I tune my Level 5 Big Waraji with my Level 2 Trumpeter!"

Trumpeter jumped into the sky. Its body broke off into two orbs, which then turned into green rings. Big Waraji hurled its body into the rings, and it divided itself into five glowing balls.

"As fast as the wind! As quiet as the forest! Silent ninja, hit the finishing blow! Synchro Summon! Come! Level 7, Superheavy Samurai Stealth Ninja!"

The ground seemed to ripple before Gongenzaka. A dark, robotic figure rose from the floor, then jumped forward and twirled its staff. It landed before Gonzenzaka and aimed its staff at the enemy Howitzer. **(DEF 2800)**

"Battle!" Gongenzaka declared. "Superheavy Samurai Stealthy Ninja attacks Ancient Gear Howitzer!"

The ninja leaned back. It hurled its staff across the field, directly into Howitzer's chest. The latter monster was instantly shattered on impact, leaving nothing but smoke in its wake.

The staff seemingly threw itself back across the field, into Stealth Ninja's waiting hand.

But something else was coming out from the smoke. A large, enormous monster rose up from the smoke and stood to face the enemy. It was an Ancient Gear Golem. **(DEF 3000)**

"Howitzer's effect," Gongenzaka grumbled. "When it's destroyed, you can Special Summon an Ancient Gear monster from your deck."

Jean sneered. "I _do_ love it when my opponents can keep up with what's going on. Breaking things down for the common folk gets tiring."

Gongenzaka looked down at his field, and then on the cards in his hand. Looks like he wouldn't be clearing Jean's field this turn. But he could certainly prepare his field for the next turn.

He stared at the Extra Monster Zones. If what Reiji had said was true, then he wouldn't be able to Synchro Summon more than one monster right now, as long as his Extra Monster Zone was occupied.

"I Summon Superheavy Samurai Magnet to the field!"

He threw a card onto his blade. A large, blue robot took to the field, landing on its feet beside Stealth Ninja. Sparks flew from its arms and legs, and from the large magnet on top of its shoulders. **(ATK 900)**

"When Superheavy Samurai Magnet is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Superheavy Samurai monster from my hand, then switch Magnet to Defense Position."

Magnet turned to face Gongenzaka. Its magnet started to glow pink and green. Materializing before it was Superheavy Samurai Drum, which quickly flew into Magnet's open arms. ( **Drum DEF 300) (Magnet ATK 900 → DEF 1900)**

Gongenzaka threw his hand up once again. "I tune my Level 7 Superheavy Samurai Stealth Ninja, and Level 4 Superheavy Samurai Magnet with my Level 1 Superheavy Samurai Drum!"

The Drum's body morphed into a ring. Magnet jumped into the ring and let itself dissolve into orbs, and Stealth Ninja soon followed its lead. Together, the eleven orbs lined up, forming a train track that lead to the front of the field.

"Steadfast oni gods, grasp tightly on my fist's resolve, now, become the fiend of iron and run across the battlefield! Synchro Summon! Appear before us! Level 12, Superheavy Samurai Steam Train King!"

The ring expanded, and a demon-faced train ran down the track. It stopped right in front of Gongenzaka. **(DEF 4800)**

Gongenzaka made note of how small it seemed to be this time. Come to think of it, Ancient Gear Golem was smaller than usual, too. He wondered, did Duel Disks scale down monsters to fit in smaller, less open spaces like this?

He shook his head. That was a question for another day.

"I end my turn," he said.

Gongenzaka ended his turn with his Steam Fiend on the field. He had two cards in his hand, 3000 Life Points, and a fierce determination in his manly heart.

The bomb started to whir and vibrate once more. After a moment, the bomb let out a small puff of smoke from its top. The number count on its panes rose to two.

* * *

Jean tapped his screen, and a card was added to his virtual hand. He now sported three cards, which was pretty impressive, considering how it was next to impossible to keep plentiful hands in this story.

"I activate the Spell, Machine Recycling Plant," Jean declared. "I can add 2 Level 4 or lower Machine-Type monsters from my Grave to my hand."

Jean tapped his screen once more, and the contents of his Graveyard were listed before them. He dragged two of the listed cards to the bottom of the screen and, after a moment of buffering, they were added to his hand.

"I've added Ancient Gears Wyvern and Hunting Hound back to my hand."

"It takes more time to tap and drag virtual cards than it does to use real cards," Gongenzaka said flatly.

"I summon my Ancient Gear Wyvern!"

Jean tapped one of his cards and dragged it onto a Main Monster Zone. Materializing onto the field proper was an Ancient Gear Wyvern, which floated a few feet above the ground. **(ATK 1700)**

"Now, Ill can add Ancient Gear Engineer from my Deck to my hand."

As Jean tapped at his screen, Gongenzaka's eyes drifted to the monitors behind him. He could see that Yuya and Yuzu were now engaged in a duel. Yuzu was jumping onto a floating platform, likely in search of an Action Card.

Gongenzaka egao'd. As long as he kept Jean distracted, he wouldn't be able to intervene in that duel.

"I activate the Spell, Fusion Sage, which lets me add a Polymerization to my hand," Jean went on. "And then, I fuse my Ancient Gear Wyvern with my Ancient Gear Engineer."

A fusion vortex opened above him. The monsters once again floated into the center of the vortex, and their bodies were donated to built a newer creation.

"Fusion Summon! Level 8, Ancient Gear Howitzer!"

The field opened before Ancient Gear Golem, and a new Ancient Gear Howitzer rose up to face down Gongenzaka and his monster. It hovered in the air and let out a horrible, hawk-like screech. **(DEF 1800)**

Gongenzaka was getting a bit tired of this card, in all honesty. Between Jean and Chronos summoning it, he was getting sick of having to deal with Ancient Gear Howitzer.

Not as sick as he was about being blasted by its lasers. The monster once again shot beams from its eyes directly at the ground before him, resulting in a small explosion of smoke and glitter. **(Gongenzaka: 3000 → 2000)**

A smile crept up on the villain's lips. "Now, I equip Ancient Gear Magic Shield to my Ancient Gear Golem!"

Jean dragged a virtual card from his hand, onto Ancient Gear Golem's card. On the field itself, a large, circular, black device appeared before Ancient Gear Golem. Its back let out a pink wave of light, which poured itself over the Golem's entire body. **(DEF 3000 → 4200)**

"Not only does my monster gain 1200 DEF, but it cannot be destroyed by battle!"

Gongenzaka let out a small gasp. He kept his feet firmly planted on the ground though, and returned to a still, defensive stance.

Jean motioned a hand over to the bomb on his field. After it started to whir and let out puffs of smoke, the number on its panes had grown to three.

"That's 1500 damage," he said. "If you don't destroy it by your next turn, I'll be free to destroy you!"

"Stop..." Gongenzaka grumbled.

"But you'll also have to deal with my Ancient Gear Golem! If you don't destroy the shield, it will be almost _invincible_!"

"Stop."

"Did you honestly think _you_ , of all people, could stop me?"

Jean spread his arms out wide. That menacing smile grew on his face. His eyes grew wide and wild, like a predator that had found its prey.

"See this?" he asked. "This is what happens to those who oppose me! You suffer! You lose! You will be _conquered_!"

"STOP!" Gongenzaka roared.

Jean brought down his arms. Though his face started to soften, he still eyed his enemy with a confident look and a wicked smile. "Yes, beg for mercy. You Lancers don't deserve it, but-"

"I'm so sick of this!" Gongenzaka snapped. "All this yelling, and dramatic speeches, and these... stupid... pointless insanity!"

"Yes," Jean sighed. "It would be best if we ended this match soon, because-"

"If it's not you, it's a crazed Battle Beast. If it's not that, it's people with brain parasites, or brainwashed security! If it's not _those_ , it's a giant dragon! Why can't I fight anyone normal? Why does it always have to be something ridiculous?!"

Jean's face grew into one of confusion. The intensity in his expressions melted away, leaving him looking like a deer that was caught in the headlights.

"... A giant dragon?" he asked.

Gongenzaka sighed. "It's a long story."

Jean ended his turn with two monsters on his field, along with his Charge Bomb. His hand consisted of one card, and his Life Points were untouched, at 4000.

* * *

The man, Gongenzaka took a deep breath. The odds were against him now, but he wasn't going to just let Jean have his way. And he could never dishonor himself by surrendering to the enemy.

 _Life is full of hard choices_ , Gongenzaka thought. _Hard situations, and great difficulty. But that just makes us stronger._

Now, he had to consider his situation a bit. If he defeated Jean before the bomb went off, there would be no problem... But with Jean's Life Points at 4000, and that Ancient Gear Golem on the field, that seemed like an impossible dream.

 _... Or is it?_ he thought.

Gongenzaka forcefully pulled a card from his deck. The very act of that drew sent a gust of wind blowing across the field.

He looked at his card and smiled. Yes, with the cards in his hand, he could see the path to victory, and all the pieces needed to make that path come to life.

"You were wrong about this being a catch-22," Gongenzaka stated. "A catch-22 is when you can't solve the problem, because solution is contradictory to the rules."

Jean simply said, "I'm sure you're wrong."

"You have a situation here that's next to impossible to solve, but only because of how difficult it is to overcome. The rules don't explicitly state-"

"You're wrong."

Gongenzaka sighed. "... If I have no Spell or Traps cards in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon Superheavy Samurai Thief from my hand!"

A monster materialized to the left of Soulclaw. It was a tall, lanky robot. It was more human in design than the other Superheavy Samurai monsters on the field. **(DEF 1000)**

"You know you can't Synchro Summon, right?" Jean asked his adversary. "You see, the Extra Monster Zone-"

"Thief's effect!" Gongenzaka declared. "I can Tribute this card to destroy one of your Spell or Trap cards!"

In a flash, the thief vanished from sight. He reappeared on Jean's side of the field, behind the bomb. It lifted the bomb into its arms, then turned to look at Jean before hugging the bomb tight.

Jean and the monster stared at each other. The monster was... mocking him? It squeezed the bomb tighter. Both the monster, and the bomb itself instantly exploded, sending a shock wave throughout the room.

 **(Gongenzaka: 2000 → 500) (Jean-Michel: 4000 → 2500)**

The smoke cleared, and the room was a mess: the mirror had fallen over, shattered on the floor. Soda cans had fallen from the machine and rolled onto the floor.

"So that's your decision?" Jean commented. "I suppose that you saw it as your only way to survive."

"Nope," Gongenzaka replied. "I saw it as my ticket to victory."

Jean's confident little smile faded.

Gongenzaka held up the last card in his hand. "I equip Superheavy Samurai Soulyomi to my Steam Train."

This time, a beaded necklace appeared around the head of the Steam Train King. Just below the monster's chin was a skull-shaped bead; though the right eye socket was empty, the left had a needle valve jammed inside.

"Soulyomi's effect!" the man continued. "By Tributing the equipped monster, I can Special Summon two Superheavy Samurai monsters from my Graveyard, with a combined Level that's less than the monster I Tributed!"

The necklace tightened its grip on the train. The head shattered, and the body soon followed. The necklace itself clustered together, melting into a shapeless blob of cyan light.

The blob started to expand outwards. It took the shape of a familiar monster, of Superheavy Samurai Stealth Ninja. **(DEF 2800)**

Jean raised an eyebrow at this. But when he looked down at his screen and saw the field, he quickly understood the situation: Stealth Ninja was revived in the Main Monster Zone.

But it wasn't over. Stealth Ninja's body started to ripple and shake. From its left side, a monster started to pull itself out of Stealth Ninja's body. It was Superheavy Samurai Trumpeter **(DEF 600)**

"I'm not finished!" Gongenzaka declared. "Next, I summon Superheavy Samurai Gigagloves from my hand!"

Gongenzaka placed the final card in his hand. A large, bulky robot appeared on the field, to the left of Trumpeter. It raised its arms in the air, showing its enormous, gloved hands. **(ATK 100)**

"I tune my Level three Gigagloves with my Level two Trumpeter!"

Trumpeter became the rings, and Gigagloves became the orbs. Together, their components worked in tandem to initiate a Synchro Summon.

"Synchro Summon! Level 5, Superheavy Samurai Swordmaster Musashi!"

It was time for a new monster to appear in center stage. A mechanized monster duel-wielding swords appeared on Gongenzaka's side of the field, before blasting forward and jumping ahead of the field, onto Gongenzaka's Extra Monster Zone.

"When this card is Synchro Summoned, I add a Machine-Type Monster from my Grave to my hand."

A card was ejected from Gongenzaka's Graveyard slot. He picked it up, then presented it to his opponent.

"I've chosen Superheavy Samurai Trumpeter," he explained. "And if I have to Spell of Trap cards in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon it from my hand."

The sound of a war horn echoed from Gongenzaka's Duel Disk. This signaled the appearance of a small robot samurai, who blew on an artificial horagai conch shell. **(DEF 600)**

"Next, I tune my Level 5 Swordmaster Musashi with my Level 2 Trumpeter!"

Trumpeter blew its horn, and its body dissolved. Its horn split in two, and each half became a Synchro ring. The rings moved over to Musashi and surrounded him, and Musashi let its body dissolve into five orbs.

"Synchro Summon! Level 7, Superheavy Samurai Stealth Ninja!"

The ground seemed to ripple before Stealth Ninja. A similar figure to it rose from the floor and jumped forward. This new Stealth Ninja landed before its predecessor and aimed its staff at the enemies before it. **(DEF 2800)**

A bemused Jean looked down on his screen. He tapped one of the Stealth Ninja cards and, after waiting for his Disk to buffer, viewed the card's effects.

His eyes widened. His heart sank. To his horror, he realized what the card could do to harm him.

"It... by halving its attack, Stealth Ninja can..."

"Attack directly," Gongenzaka finished. "And because of your Charge Bomb, your Life Points are low enough for them to finish you off."

Jean groaned, but his voice was cracking. His hands were shaking. His face was a mixture of both horror and frustration. He looked to Gongenzaka with such disgust, anger, and hatred for the man.

"Battle!" Gongenzaka declared. "By halving its attack, Superheavy Samurai Stealth Ninja can attack you directly!"

The newest Stealth Ninja sat still on the floor. But a ghostly image of itself rose from its body and flew across the field. It passed by Jean's monsters, going right through their bodies. And when it got close to Jean, it lifted up its staff and struck him. **(Jean: 2500 → 1100)**

Jean was thrown back, onto his desk. His body crashed against the monitor, and a few chess pieces on his desk were thrown in all different directions. A television monitor was loosened from the wall; it fell onto the desk, then slid off and crashed into the floor. Its screen was now rendered broken and inoperable.

Jean looked at the monitors before him: some were broken, through the rest still operated, with varying degrees of clarity. And... three of his soldiers were on the floor, while Yuri and Serena (it was them, right?) battled a large monster.

Jean immediately got off of the desk and turned to his Duel Disk. He quickly minimized the duel on his screen, then went to his messaging system.

Even if he was going to lose now, he could still stop Yuri and Serena from interfering with his plans further. By sending reinforcements for the Doktor, he was losing the battle, but ensuring that he won the war.

But then, Jean stopped typing. He looked up to Gongenzaka and smiled.

"Battle!" Gongenzaka declared. "By halving my second Stealth Ninja's attack-"

"I wouldn't do that!" Jean shouted.

"Why?"

That's right! Jean didn't have to lose _at all_. Because these imbecilic Lancers had empathy for others, and could never see the bigger picture. But Jean could see the bigger picture. He could see everything.

"If you continue with your attack, I will send a message out to everyone in my army," Jean explained. "If I lose, I will have all the students head to the highest points they can get to, then throw themselves out of the school."

Gongenzaka's jaw dropped. His once-steady stance became loose, and his form started to wobble. His hands dropped to his sides.

"B-but why?" Gongenzaka asked. His voice was shaking. "They're innocent people!"

"Why would that matter to _me_ , though?" jean asked, shrugging. "For me, my soldiers can be replaced with new ones. However, their lives mean a lot more to you Lancers."

Gongenzaka stepped forward. His hands were balled into fists. He was growling, seething with anger at this point.

"Stand down, surrender the duel, and let yourself become infected by a Fusion Parasite," Jean said. "Or do you want me to sacrifice everyone?"

"You wouldn't dare," Gongenzaka growled. "I'll... I'll kill you before I let that happen!"

Jean laughed politely. "Oh, please! Like you'd do such a thing."

Gongenzaka continued his march forward. He passed by Jean's monsters, and was now just several feet away from the villain.

"... Stand down," Jean said again. "You're playing with peoples' lives now."

Gongenzaka clenched his fists and continued to seethe. His anger was still burning inside him.

But he couldn't let innocents get hurt. So he had to stop in his tracks, then drop onto his knees. He had all but surrendered himself to Jean.

Jean looked down at the boy, smiling. He still kept his fingers on his Duel Disk's screen, ready to send a message.

His gaze drifted back to the television monitors. Then, he went back to typing on his screen. The Doktor seemed to be doing well in his duel, but Jean didn't want to risk anything. He still had to send reinforcements to ensure that their plans went smoothly.

"I commend you for doing the right thing, boy," Jean said out loud. "You loss was inevitable, however; there's no way that you could have handled this operation."

He lifted his head from his screen. And it was right then that a heavy, stone sandal crashed into his face.

Jean fell backwards and fell onto his desk. He quickly threw his body forward to stand up properly. But as he did, he found Gongenzaka had ran up to him.

Gongenzaka grabbed hold of Jean's left arm. His hands latched onto the man's Duel Disk, and he started to pull at it. Jean wiggled and flailed himself wildly, trying to escape Gongenzaka's grip. But a quick knee to the stomach made him stop.

Gongenzaka forcefully slid the Disk off of Jean's arm. Jean then pushed his enemy back to create some space between them.

Both of their Duel Disks spoke: _"ILLEGAL ACTION: DUEL DISK REMOVED."_

Gongenzaka looked behind him. The monsters on the field were vanishing, dissolving into sparkles. When he looked at the Duel Disks, he could see their blades turning off, and the cards that were on the blade now fell to the ground.

It was extremely disrespectful to do this, to rip off someone's Duel Disk and end a duel. It was something you'd expect from a child who couldn't get what they wanted, so they would rage quit a duel and make everyone miserable.

But frankly, Gongenzaka didn't care about respect for his opponent. Or honor, or conducting himself with civility. When he looked back at Jean, he saw someone who didn't deserve his respect.

Jean threw his back to his opponent. He pulled an old, now-scratched-up laptop from the back of his desk, then began typing on its keyboard furiously.

"YOU THINK THAT'S FUNNY?!" he screamed. "LET'S SEE HOW FUNNY THIS IS."

Gongenzaka dropped the Disk to the ground, then moved closer to Jean. But Jean quickly turned himself around and delivered a surprise kick to Gongenzaka's abdomen.

Gongenzaka took a few steps back. Even with his natural fortitude, he wasn't prepared for that. He clutched at the area of attack, trying to soften the pain.

While Gongenzaka had fallen back, Jean quickly returned to his laptop. With surprising speed, he was typing like a madman on fifty cups of coffee.

"THAT'S IT!" he screeched. "THAT'S IT! ALL THE STUDENTS ARE GOING TO THE ROOF, AND THEY'RE GOING TO JUMP!"

He let out a long, wild cackle: "THE FUN HAS JUST BEGUN, BECAUSE OF YO-"

Jean interrupted himself with a gasp. His arms seemed to seize up. He felt a horrible, stabbing pain between his shoulder blades.

As he turned his head, he could see Gognenzaka's hand. He had jabbed Jean with something sharp and painful.

Gongenzaka pulled his hand back from the man, revealing a shard of glass in his hand. Maybe it was from the mirror, or the broken monitors. Jean didn't know or care; he was focused solely on his own pain.

Gongenzaka grabbed Jean by the shoulders, then hurled him onto the floor. He stepped in front of the laptop, then started writing his own message.

Backstabbing someone. Gongenzaka _literally_ backstabbed someone. And that was on top of attacking his opponent, taking his Duel Disk and ending the duel. If his father, or anyone at his dojo had seen what he had done, they would have decried Gongenzaka right then and there.

He could hear his father's words in his mind: _How dare you dishonor your family? Your school? Your friends? The Lancers? You're not a thug, but a hero that lives by a code of honor! OR at least, you were._

As he issued a detraction message to the students, his mind went to Yuya. Would Yuya have been able to handle this better? Would he have made Jean egao, and turn him into a better person? Gongenzaka wasn't strong enough to bring out someone's egao, but Yuya...

 _Send._

No. Gongenzaka knew he did the right thing. Even if Jean wasn't a monster even if Jean deserved no respect... Gongenzaka didn't care about his honor as nearly as much as he did about those students, and his friends. To hell with feeling sorry for doing what he thought was best.

But as he turned to see Jean, on the floor and trying to grab at his back, Gongenzaka couldn't help but feel bad. Maybe he didn't need to be so extreme; maybe he could have taken a less violent option in stopping Jean, instead of hitting him with a surprise attack and stabbing him. He would have fought, he would have wasted valuable time. But still...

Gongenzaka shook his head. He grabbed Jean by the arms, then slowly started to drag him up into a standing position.

"Don't touch me!" Jean screeched. "Don't you dare! Don't you _dare_!"

"It's over," Gongenzaka stated. "Let's go get your wound treated."

* * *

 _ **A/N: I was originally going to cut this chapter completely, and have Gongenzaka's role summarized in another chapter. But the man deserved more than that. Plus this chapter is important in the long run.**_

 _ **The idea of this chapter came from an old, fake episode summary, which claimed that Gongenzaka would duel Jean. While this never ended up happening, the idea really stuck with me. I even learned how to play Superheavy Samurais just to make this duel happen.**_

 _ **You might notice that Jean didn't attack much this turn; instead, he relied on burn damage. I wanted to keep this consistent with what we've seen in the show, while also giving him his own unique playing style. Unlike other members of Academia, I imagine Jean playing defensively, and focusing more on burn damage. He doesn't command the field itself, but sits back and plays a passive, distant role in his plans.**_

 _ **Anyway, the whole "Gongenzaka dishonors himself to save the school" was a bigger thing in an earlier draft for the chapter. But I decided to shave this idea down and make it less important. The story is already edgy and dumb as it is, and I didn't want it to do something that could possibly damage Gongenzaka's character.**_

 _ **Next time: Yuri shows Serena his feelings in the worst way possible.**_


	44. Class 12: A Link to the Present

_**Fun Fact: The Battle Beast was forced to train with skunk apes. Like him, they were all trained to be ruthless, powerful duelists**_

 _ **Description: Yuri tries to help Serena, no matter the cost. Meanwhile, the Lancers investigate the Link Dimension.**_

* * *

Earlier that day, Serena and Yuri defeated the Doktor. They, along with the other Lancers, saved Academia, and the lives of its students. So Serena thought that she deserved to have a small cat nap in her room.

But when she woke up, she wasn't in her room. Instead, she found herself encased under a glass dome, looking down upon the ARC-V machine.

 _Guys, guys!_ Serena's mind cried out. _Get over here!_

Images of Ruri and Rin appeared before her, just outside of the glass. They both looked down to see the machine. Instantly, they understood the gravity of the situation.

 _What happened?_ Rin asked.

"I don't know!" Serena said. "I-I think someone captured us while I was sleeping."

Ruri twirled a piece of her hair with her finger. She looked down at the machine below,her eyes locked on it as she let horrible memories flood her mind.

 _This is bad,_ she said.

"Yeah, no shit," Serena said. "Maybe if I summon a monster with my Duel Disk-"

 _And our body will be squeezed and crushed,_ Rin told her. _We need another plan._

Serena looked to her Duel Disk. She accessed her phone's contact list, then dialed the first number listed.

No rings. There were no connection bars.

"Shit!" she groaned. "What the heck? Really?!"

 _Maybe Reiji and the Professor ended up messing with the signal,_ Ruri offered. _When they used that jammer?_

 _Or the person who captured us made sure to disconnect us,_ Rin replied. _We need to find a way out of here by ourselves._

Serena pressed her back against the glass. She raised a foot and kicked forward, repeatedly. Rin and Ruri could only watch as Serena pounded at the glass, trying to break free.

"Come on!" Serena said. "I need to get out of here. I need to get out of here."

Serena's kicked stopped when the doors to the room opened. She leaned forward and stared down at the person who entered the room and made their way towards ARC-V.

She pressed her hands and face against the glass to get a better look. There, typing at some sort of keyboard at the base of ARC-V, was Yuri.

"Yuri!" Serena screamed. She pounded on the glass dome as hard as she could, trying to grab her attention.

Yuri looked up from the screen. Upon seeing Serena, he egao'd and waved a hand to her.

"Let me out!" Serena cried.

"Not just yet!" Yuri told her. "Just wait a little bit longer!"

 _Of course it's him!_ Rin yelled. _Serena, tell him how I'll kick his ass once we get out of here. I can take him on in a duel,_ or _fist-fight._

Ruri nodded in agreement. Frankly, she was completely confident in Rin's ability to beat up Yuri. Or anyone, really; that girl was crazy-strong. She once caught Shun watching them, and she threw him across the room.

Good times. Good times...

"Why are you doing this?!" Serena shouted.

"What?!" Yuri responded. "I can't hear you!"

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!"

"WHAT?!"

 _ **"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!"**_

Yuri chuckled. "Why are you shouting so much? I heard you the first time."

 _I hate him so much,_ Rin said. _It's like- it's like flames..._

"Why are you doing this, Yuri?" Serena asked.

 _From the side of my face. Just... they just burn everything..._

"I'm going to tear you girls!" Yuri responded.

Serena's jaw dropped to the floor. "What?"

"I'm going to use the machine to break you guys down!" Yuri said gleefully. "And then, I'll re-assemble you again, with you as the main body."

"Why would you do that?!" Serena screeched. "You're- you're endangering us, and... Do you even think it'll work?!"

Yuri shrugged. "If it doesn't work, I'll just keep trying. I'll keep going and going, until you're the dominant personality."

 _He's insane!_ Ruri gasped. _Holy Jesus, Serena. You need to make him stop, or we could all be killed!_

Serena threw a fist against the glass.

"Calm down, Celery!" Yuri shouted. "Once I do this, you'll finally be free!"

"... What?"

"You'll be the dominant personality, so you can do what you want, whenever you want! You'll be free to live your life!"

Serena stopped her assault on the class. Yuri's words took the fight out of her. Yuri's words were like a punch to the gut for her.

"You'll never be trapped again!"

Serena clutched at her chest. She could feel her heart beat wildly in her chest. It was beating so fast, it almost hurt. The world around her seemed to slow down, and everyone but Yuri seemed to fade from sight.

 _Serena, are you okay?_ Ruri asked.

 _We need to get her out of here,_ Rin said. _Serena, don't worry. We're going to get you out of here._

"Yuri..." Serena said.

 _Serena, stay with us!_

He remembered... He remembered their talk from earlier. About how she felt, and... and...

"Yuri!" Serena shouted. "You... You're doing this because you care, right?"

Yuri nodded. "This is all for you, Serena."

Serena fell to her knees. She buried her blushing, egao-ing face in her hands, and she rocked her head from side to side.

This was so _embarrassing_ , but _sweet_. Here was a boy who listened to what she said. Who came to save her. Who worked alongside her perfectly. Who was willing to kill her just to make her happ-

... Okay, she had to admit that the last point was horrifying.

"I don't want this, Yuri!" she called out.

Yuri just wagged his finger at her, then let out a confident little chuckle. "You're just saying that because the other girls will be mad at you for taking my offer. Don't worry; all the responsibility falls on me."

"I appreciate it, but I don't _want_ to be torn apart and be remade!"

"Now try not to bother me. I need to figure out how this machine works, and it's already hard enough, having to listen to Yuya and the others arguing in my head!"

 _Damn it!_ said a frustrated Rin. _Damn it, damn it!_

 _So Yuri is doing this because he thinks it will make Serena happy..._ Ruri said quietly.

 _Because he's a psycho!_

 _Because he understands how I feel,_ Serena thought.

 _... What?_

 _He knows how I feel about being trapped,_ Serena explained. _He's a psychopath, but his heart is in the right place this time._

 _Yuri doesn't have a heart._

 _He has a romantic's heart,_ Ruri said. _If said romantic was also the leader of a suicide cult._

Serena looked back down on Yuri. "Hey! Yuri!"

Yuri looked up from the keyboard. This time, he seemed a little annoyed this time. He clearly wasn't happy about being interrupted once again.

"I don't want this!" Serena told him. "But I want something else from you!"

Yuri raised an eyebrow. "Eh?"

 _What are you doing, Serena?_ Ruri asked.

"I don't want to be the dominant personality!" she said. "I just want you!"

Yuri looked up to Serena, his cold eyes watching her. And for a good moment, he just stood there, silently studying Serena's face.

Ruri pinched the bridge of her nose. _This can't be good._

"If you let me out now, we can go and spend some time together!" Serena continued. "You still need to buy me lunch, remember? Let's do that!"

 _... Actually, this might work._

 _Are you kidding?!_ Rin snapped. _Ruri, this is insane!_

 _But if seducing Yuri frees us, then what's the problem?_

 _It's a problem because Serena is handing herself over to Yuri! That's like... offering yourself as a virgin sacrifice to a volcano!_

 _Is it that bad, Rin? Really? ... I mean, yeah, it is, but-_

Rin looked to Serena. _Don't do this, Serena. I'd rather we be torn apart and forced to re-assemble for a lifetime, than to see you do this._

She put a hand through the glass and placed a hand on Serena's shoulder. Though the girls knew that Serena couldn't physically feel the touch, the contact was meant to convey the connection and feelings Rin had for her sister.

 _Don't do this, Serena,_ Rin said again. _He's dangerous. He's a menace to you, and to everyone around you. He'll probably murder our teachers if it meant that you would never have homework._

 _He'd kill for me,_ Serena mused.

 _No, that's a_ bad _thing!_

 _If a bit romantic..._ Ruri said. _It adds spice to a relationship, a danger. Like trying to make out with your boyfriend while your brother is in the other room._

 _Not helping, Ruri!_ Rin cried. _Jeez, why am I the only one who thinks this is bad? This is atrocious, not romantic!_

 _It could be both..._

 _It's not!_

 _"Fine!"_ said Yuri.

The girls stopped and looked down to him. Yuri stepped back to his keyboard and started typing something in.

"I'll free you, if that's what you really want," he said.

"... And a pirate ship," Serena added.

 _Wait, what?_ Rin asked.

"I also want you to get me a pirate ship, Yuri," Serena said.

 _Gautama Buddha, Serena!_ Rin barked. _What the hell?!_

"I always wanted to be a pirate. Free me, and get me a pirate ship."

Yuri sneered. "Funny you should say that, Serena. I just so happen to know where we can get a pirate ship."

* * *

The four boys stood before each other in the mindscape. In an empty void, under a spotlight, where nothing would distract them from their discussion.

Yuya, Yugo and Yuto all looked to Yuri, who was looking at them with a bored expression. He had his hands hidden behind his back, and he gently kicked at some non-existent dirt.

"Okay, so I did a few bad things in my life," Yuri began.

"Like murdering me," Yugo said.

"Carding our dad, along with dozens of other people," Yuya added.

"Trying to make us become one so we could become Zarc and destroy the world," Yuto included.

"Hunting down the girls and kidnapping two of them..." Yugo said.

"Okay, I got it, guys," Yuri groaned.

"... Then trying to do the same with the other two," Yuya added.

"Making me rifle through garbage for hours," Yuto added.

"Taking away my day with Rin," Yugo added.

"Writing erotic World War II-era stories about our mother," said Yuya.

"And stealing her underwear!"

"Pitting Yugo and Yuto against each other."

"Strangling Sora," Yuto added.

"You can all shut up at any time," Yuri insisted.

"What you did to that bird..."

"Pushing yourself down the stairs! And then making me take over the body, so I'm the one getting hurt!" Yugo added. "And then going on Twitter and tweeting about it!"

"My followers really grilled me for that one," Yuri sighed. "But regardless-"

"Overfeeding Core and pretending that he's been overeating because of depression," Yuto added.

"Training the pets to attack people on sight," Yuya said, counting with his fingers.

"Trying to convince Mom to punish you with spankings."

"Instigating race wars online," Yuto concluded.

"And at school!" Yugo added.

 _"Enough!"_ Yuri barked. "My point is, I changed. You know it, I know it. It'd undeniable that I've made progress and became a better, more caring person."

"So you'll be a nicer person now?" Yuto asked.

"Heavens, no!" Yuri chuckled. "I just thought about what you said; I could be alone if I attack everyone. So I'll just attack people I don't care about."

"Which is...?"

"Everyone who isn't you guys, Mom, or Serena," Yuri said. "And the other bracelet girls, since they're attached to Serena."

"It's a start!" Yuya exclaimed. "Yuri, make your brothers proud."

Yuri was caught off-guard by this. But... if he was being honest, it was nice seeing Yuya so accepting of him. He egao'd.

"Aww, hell," Yugo grumbled. "You're probably tricking us again, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."

"I'll do you proud, little brother," Yuri said to him.

"Hey, I'm the same age as you! ... Probably"

Yuri looked to Yuto expectantly. He waited, just waited for him to show that same acceptance. But Yuto kept his arms crossed, and just stared at Yuri with a neutral expression.

"Look..." Yuri began. "I treated you worst of all-"

"You _murdered_ me," Yugo corrected.

"... But Yuto, I've changed. I've learned. I..."

Yuri looked down at his feet. "I don't deserve your forgiveness, I suppose."

"Hey..." Yuto said.

Yuri immediately threw his head up. He could see that Yuto was egao-ing at him. It wasn't a wide grin, or anything too cheerful. It was a small, almost cautious egao.

"I won't forgive you just yet," Yuto told him. "But we'll work on it."

Yuri nodded. "You'll be there to make sure I don't fall off the evil wagon, yes?"

"Fine."

Yuri felt a hand slap his back. Yuya dragged him and Yuto up to him. Once they were pressed against him, he grabbed hold of Yugo's shirt and pulled him closer. With his brothers close, Yuya wrapped his arms around them.

"You guys are my best pals!" he said. " _Including_ Yuri!"

* * *

Yuri was in his cabin. An enslaved Captain Solo was steering the ship. Crew members walked about the ship and performed their various duties. And Serena sat starboard, watching the waves of the sea.

She could see Yuzu appear beside her, in a chair. She was wearing a bathing suit and a sunhat, and her eyes were hidden behind large sunglasses. She sipped on the straw of her fruit drink.

"Where've you been?" Serena asked her.

Yuzu moved the straw away from her lips. _I was on a mental vacation. Did I miss anything?_

Serena frowned. "Did you ever."

 _How's school been?_

"We only spent like a week at school," Serena explained. "It's a long story, but we're pirates now."

 _Oh. Okay._

Yuzu put the straw back in her mouth and returned to her sips. She leaned back in her chair and watched the waves roll by.

 _So, I'm going to go back on my vacation. Tell Yuya and everyone I said hi, and call me when things aren't weird._

"They're always going to be weird," Serena admitted. "But I kind of like that."

* * *

Jean-Michel Roget had lost. Over the course of a single day, weeks of planning fell apart. His most despised enemies were the ones to bring him down once again. He was literally stabbed in the back, and was now bound to a bed in the infirmary. Though it would be more appropriate to say that he was bound to a radiator by his bed, thanks to a pair of handcuffs.

Still, he was in a better place than his partner. The Doktor had been going through intensive examinations, due to some sort of brain trauma. Jean didn't know the details about what happened, but he frankly didn't care all that much.

Now, Jean was left to sit on his bed. With nothing else to, he had a choice: discuss things with the Lancers and the Professor, who had gathered in his room, or pretend to fall asleep and ignore them. Sadly, he couldn't stand people watching him while he pretended to sleep.

Reiji, Leo, Gongenzaka, Sora and Sawatari all stationed themselves at various places in the room. Sora was closest to him, taking up a seat right next to the radiator while he munched on a bar of chocolate.

"You better start talking, Roget," Leo told the man. "What is the Link Dimension like?"

Jean turned his head to the side. "And why should I tell you anything? I see no reason to help you people."

"Well, we can wait for the authorities to come and interrogate you."

"So I'll be arrested for my crimes?" Jean asked.

"Yes, of course."

Jean smiled. "And you'll be turning yourself in for your crimes, too, I presume?"

Leo turned his eyes away from Jean. With a small, strained sigh, he decided to take a step back and look out the window.

"You should talk to us," Gongenzaka said to Jean. "Please, Roget. You could be saving our world. _Your_ world."

"My world is one where I'm the ruler," Jean said. "Not the one where I'm trapped in a school nurse's office. But at least you were merciful enough to tend to my wou- AAH!"

Sora had grabbed Jean's handcuffed arm and pushed it to the radiator. After being burned, Jean quickly recoiled his hand, as much as the handcuff's chain would allow.

"It tells us what we want to know, or else it gets the heat again," Sora explained.

"Stop saying that!"

"Tell us what we want to hear, Jean."

"No!"

Sora brought Jean's hand down on the radiator. Jean let out another scream of pain, which made Sora chuckle a bit.

"Sora, stop that!" Gongenzaka said.

"Yes, that's enough for now," Reiji added. "Keep doing it, and it won't be funny anymore."

"What?"

"Fine..." Sora said reluctantly.

Sora lifted Jean's hand off of the radiator. By now, Jean's hand had become swollen and red. A couple of blisters were forming around his palm.

"Hey, question," came Sawatari's voice.

Sawatari, who has spent this tme spinning around on a stool, leafed through the contents of a folder. He looked up from his reading to meet the looks of everyone in the room.

"It says here that the Doktor's got a son? Rudolpho?" he said. "We're not gonna have to worry about him coming for revenge, are we?"

"That won't be a concern," Leo said quietly.

Leo lowered his head. And for a moment, there was a dark silence in the room. No one spoke, though they could all tell that there was no need to elaborate on the matter.

Sawatari looked to Jean. Even he seemed to be lowering his head and avoiding the matter. And although Sawatari wanted answers, he figured it would be best not to push for them.

The silence was broken by Jean. "Hey, Reiji."

Reiji turned to look at him. "What is it?"

"I have a question, and I think you might be the one who can answer it."

Reiji's nod encouraged Jean to go on. Jean looked up to the ceiling, looking at something that wasn't there.

"When we were in the Synchro Dimension, I was about to throw us all into the void between worlds," Jean said. "But that obviously didn't end up happening."

"Probably because your calculations were wrong," Sawatari said. "You have a tendency to fail at things a lot."

"Ignoring that remark," Jean hissed. "I was _sure_ I made the right calculations. I _should_ have ended up in the void."

"But you ended up in the Link Dimension," Gongenzaka concluded.

Jean nodded.

"I don't get it," Sawatari said. "So you miscalculated? Or are you saying that the Link Dimension saved you? What?"

"Neither," Leo responded.

Jean nodded once more. "I _knew_ that the coordinates were set to send us to the void. They _should_ have sent us."

"Then why weren't you sent there?" Sawatari asked.

"Because maybe there was no void," Reiji answered.

Sawatari blinked. "I'm not lost, but I'm sure Gongenzaka is. So maybe you can break it down for him?"

"We're saying that the Link Dimension was placed where the void should have been," Jean explained.

"But how's that possible?" Sora asked.

Jean turned to look at Reiji. "That's what I wanted to know. The Link Dimension wasn't there when the calculations were made, or else it would have been recognized."

"It's just a theory," Reiji mused. "But I think I have a possible idea as to what's going on."

Everyone turned to face Reiji. Reiji looked over the group, his face showing conviction and confidence. It was clear that he had a lot of faith in what he was about to say.

"The Link Dimension was not Roget's target destination, so it wasn't there at the time," Reiji explained. "But after Jean was sucked through a wormhole, he ended up there."

"Are you saying that the wormhole changed his course?" Sawatari asked.

"No," Jean said. "The Link Dimension still exists where the void _should_ be."

"I'm saying that the Link Dimension filled the void," Reiji added. "So the Link Dimension came into existence at that moment, or later."

"And that brings me to my main concern," Jean sighed. "Was I ever in the void? When was the Link Dimension created? How did I get to the Link Dimension?"

This time, it was Leo's turn to speak up. "If I may say something?"

All eyes on him now.

"When the Original Dimension collapsed, I was immediately sent to the Standard Dimension, without memory. It's possible that Jean was in the void, but cannot remember his time. Or that he didn't exist _at all_ , and came back into existence when the Link Dimension existed."

"... Or that this isn't the real Jean, but a reincarnation?" Sawatari wondered.

"A possibility, yes."

"What could have created the Link Dimension, though?" Gongenzaka asked.

"To answer that question, we must ask ourselves something," Leo responded. "How were the other Dimensions created?"

"... _Zarc_."

"Zarc," Reiji stated. "It's possible that the dimension was created sometime after the pieces of Zarc were reunited. Jean, what do you think?"

"Well, I have an idea as to what happened to me," Jean said. "I'm satisfied in my answers."

"We answered your questions, so answer ours," Leo told him. "What can you tell us about the Link Dimension?"

Jean smiled. "And why do I have to help you figure out anything? As you may recall, I hate every single one of you?"

"Even me?" Sawatari asked.

"Yes, but less than I hate the others."

"Score."

Reiji pushed his glasses up. He made small, but very triumphant egao. "It doesn't matter if Jean will cooperate with us further. He has given us a lot of possibilities that can help us unravel the mystery of the Link Dimension."

"We can probe his memories later," Leo added. "Jean no longer needs to cooperate with us; we can simply root through his mind and take what we need."

Jean scoffed. "And you all think _that_ I'm the villain here?"

Sora grabbed onto Jean's hand and forced it down on the radiator. Jean let out another scream of pain, while Sora laughed.

* * *

 _ **A/N: I kind of like writing about the dark undertones of the Yu boy/Bracelet girl dynamics. They care about each other so much, that they'll do whatever they can to keep them happy, or to be the one that catches their eye. They love each other, but they're very young. They suffered to be together, so they seek out attachment. And I'd like to cover their relationships more as we go on.**_

 _ **The original version of this chapter had Serena and Yuri call the police to arrest Leo, as he's a major war criminal. But I thought that was a little too mean-spirited, so I left that out. But you can pretend that they called the police on him later; I don't think Leo's going to appear in the main story anymore.**_

 _ **Now that the Fusion arc is done, I'll go on my usual hiatus. Expect some bonus chapters, which will hopefully include some legacy character duels. I posted some ideas on my Twitter, if you want to see what might be in store.**_

 _ **Next time: Now that Yuya and Yuzu have become a couple, they unleash their terror upon the world.**_


	45. BONUS Level 6: Yuya, Yuzu and You

_**A/N: Faves, follows and reviews are always appreciated. Even if I can't respond to all of you, I appreciate all the attention you've given me.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: Yuri would like to go into acting one day. He tried out for a school play, but found the production too juvenile to waste his time on.**_

 _ **Description: Yuya, Yuzu, Gongenzaka, Sawatari, Sora and Dennis hang out.**_

* * *

Summer was more than halfway over and, in order to give the students a break, Academia allowed their students to take a week off of their studies.

Sawatari and Sora chose to spend their week in the Pendulum Dimension. And that day, they were joined by Gongenzaka and Dennis. The four of them had planned out a day on the town, enjoying the sights and sounds of downtown Maiami City.

The four of them were sitting on benches just outside of a Burger World. Sawatari had several shopping bags by his feet, Dennis had two bags resting on his lap, Sora had a small gift bag in his arms, and Gongenzaka had a plastic bag full of clothes jammed under his armpit.

"I think today's been a success so far," Sawatari said to them. "I'll call the limo around, we'll drop off our bags, and keep going."

"I want to go to the zoo next!" Sora said.

"Zoo's closed," Gongenzaka told them. "Something about ninjas having an Action Duel against a skunk ape."

"Laaaame."

"We should go see a movie," Dennis offered. "They have good shows, good food, air conditioning..."

"You don't get to pick!" Sawatari scoffed. "You didn't even help us when Academia was invaded."

"Oh, come on," Gongenzaka said gruffly. "He wasn't even in the same dimension as us; he was in Heartland."

"And it's not like we could call him," Sora said.

"I wasn't in Heartland, actually," Dennis said.

The trio looked at him. Dennis merely egao'd at them and shrugged.

"And where were you?" Sora asked.

"Me, Yusho, and a few others had to fight off an alien invasion," Dennis explained. "We ended up going somewhere called the... Beryl-Anne World? Variants World? Anyway, they were after my Performage Utopia card-"

"Yeah, we're not going to fall for that," Sawatari said.

"But it's true! Look, I'll show you the card-"

"I don't know how you fooled the Lancers for so long," Sora said casually. "You're a terrible liar."

Sora pulled out a lollipop from his pocket. He pulled the wrapper off of the top, then stuck the candy in his mouth.

"But it's true," Dennis sighed.

Sora turned to look at Dennis. "First it was that family, then it was Kaito's father. Now it's..."

Sora's jaw hung open, and his candy fell out of his mouth. The color drained from his face as he observed the true horror before him.

Sora shuddered. "G-guys..."

"What is it, Sora?" Gongenzaka asked.

"I-I see them. I see them!"

Everyone turned to look where Sora was looking. And to their nightmarish horror, they could see the most terrifying thing imaginable.

"I thought you said you didn't invite them!" Gongenzaka whispered to Sawatari.

"I didn't!" Sawatari whispered back. "Anyone spill the beans?"

"No," Dennis whispered.

"Hell no," Sora said.

Sawatari groaned. "They must have found us on their own. But maybe we can walk out and pretend we didn't see-"

 _"Hey, guys!"_

Yuya and Yuzu approached the duo, enormous egaos on their faces. Yuya held Yuzu's right hand in his left, while Yuzu held a shopping bag in her in her left. They wore matching floral white shirts, and had English words written in lavender. A picture of a tomato and a yuzu were depicted underneath the words.

"Funny running into you here!" Yuzu said to them.

"Haha, yeah..." Sora said sheepishly. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Oh, we were just in the area."

"We were getting matching shirts!" Yuya told them. "Do you guys like them?"

Dennis looked down at the shirts. Yuzu's shirt said _I'm He's,_ while Yuya's said _She's He's._ Dennis took a moment to consider telling them that their shirts didn't make any sense, but ultimately decided that he didn't want to ruin their fun.

"They're very lovely!" Dennis lied.

"They're..." Gongenzaka muttered. "Ah..."

"... Huh," was Sora's reaction. "They're very..."

"They're definitely shirts," Sawatari stated.

"Yes, that," Gongenzaka said.

"What Sawatari said," Sora said.

Yuzu clasped her hands together. "Glad you like them!"

"Yuzu picked them out," Yuya said. "She has great tastes, right?"

"Oh, please!" Yuzu responded. " _You're_ the one who helped me. You have even better tastes!"

"I know I have great taste, because I fell in love with the best girl in the universe."

Yuzu gasped. "Yuya..."

"Yuzu..."

The two turned to each other. Yuya put his hands on her waist, while Yuzu put her arms over his shoulder. The two looked deep into each other's eyes, soaking in the brilliant radiance that came from their loved one.

Their faces were blushing red, and they could feel themselves overcome with their love for the other. But they continued gazing into each other's eyes, so they could take in every bit of their lover as they could.

"I really mean it," Yuya told her. "You're just... _so amazing_. And you mean so much to me."

"Yuya, I know," Yuzu responded. "I just feel your love, in everything I do. I think about you all the time, and I know how much you mean to me."

"It's impossible for me to love you more than I do now, but..."

"... We somehow love to love each other more and more..."

"... With each passing second."

"Nanosecond."

"Microsecond!"

"Our love, it's growing faster than the speed of time itself!"

The others just stood there, watching this display with various levels of discomfort. Simultaneously, they all stepped away from the couple and started moonwalking away.

But alas, they couldn't escape. The couple broke their focus to turn and face their friends.

"Where are you going?" Yuzu asked them.

"W-we won't disturb you two anymore!" Sora said. "We know when we're being third wheels!"

"That's crazy!" Yuya responded.

"That's right!" Yuzu agreed. "We're friends; we'd never leave you all out."

"I have an idea!" exclaimed. "How about we all go and get lunch together?"

"I think that's a great idea."

"I think _you're_ great."

 _"You~"_

 _"You~"_

The boys just looked at them, now more visibly disgusted. But they put up their best attempts at egaos and raised their fists.

"Yaaay..." they sighed.

* * *

Naturally, the place the couple picked out was not a fun place like Burger World. Instead, Yuya and Yuzu lead their friends to a quaint, simple cafe two blocks away: the Cafe du Washog.

The six of them were guided to their seat by a waitress. She lead them to the outside patio, and directed them to one of the long tables. Luckily, there was enough room for everyone to sit, three on each side.

But that's when the trouble began.

Yuya ran ahead of Yuzu and pulled out her chair for her. And after a bit of appreciative flirting and banter between them, Yuzu took to her seat and pushed herself in.

But then she got up to pull out _Yuya's_ chair for him. And then Yuya decided that he should push Yuzu in for her, as thanks. And when he offered to do that, she offered to do the same. This lead to the duo flirting and offering to help the other constantly.

It would have likely gone on forever, if Gongenzaka didn't put his arms around their waists and hoist them up. While Gongenzaka lifted them up, Sora ran towards the chairs and pulled them both out. Gongenzaka dropped the two kids in their seats, and Sora pushed them in.

Yuya and Yuzu stared at each other, dumbfounded. And then, they started to laugh at their own little mistake. And laughing turned into compliments about the other's laugh, followed by more flirting, and more banter.

Meanwhile, the four boys squeezed themselves together on the other side of the table. It was a tight fit, but none of them wanted to sit next to Yuya and Yuzu.

And then the waitress returned, asking for their orders. And if you guessed that this lead to even more problems, you'd be correct.

Yuzu turned to Yuya. "What should I get?"

"Whatever you want," he told her. "What should I get?"

"You get whatever you want!" she told him. "But I need to watch my weight."

"Nonsense, you're perfect!" he said to her. "In fact, I'd love you no matter how you looked."

"Aww, you're so sweet! But I can't."

"You should. You deserve _everything_ in the world."

"You must be confusing myself with you, because you're the one who's totally amazing."

"This might be the only time you're ever wrong, because I was definitely talking about you."

Yuzu egao'd. "You're right. You're always right, because you're so smart!"

Yuya egao'd. "If you said it, then it must be true, because you're even smarter!"

The two of them blushed. They looked away from each other and started to laugh nervously. But their faces were beaming with happiness and positivity.

The waitress cringed and took a step back. She looked to the others of the group, looking for orders. She tried her best to hide her utter confusion and revulsion, but her eyes betrayed her.

"Just get the girl a latte and fudge pastries," Sora told the lady.

"Get the boy some croquembouche and ice cream," Sawatari added.

"Thanks," the lady sighed. And then she power-walked away as fast as she could.

* * *

It took about twenty long, slow, frustrating, slow, agonizing, painful, agonizing, slow minutes before another waitress showed up with their food. And during those twenty minutes, the others had to watch in horror as Yuya and Yuzu continued to flirt.

They would try to break their talking up by changing the subject. For example, Sawatari told everyone about how he had bought a few toys for his pet skunk ape...

"Oh, I love skunk apes!" Yuzu said in response. "Almost as much as I love Yuya."

"Oh, Yuzu!" Yuya responded, blushing. "I love you way more than I love skunk apes."

"I wish I could rangle up a bunch the skunk apes, and teach them to sing your name."

"Oh, that's so niiiice! That's so romantic."

"You deserve it, Yuya!"

Yuya blushed. "Honestly, though? _You_ deserve it. You deserve _all_ the skunk apes."

... And every attempt at changing the subject would somehow end in Yuya and Yuzu talking about how much they loved the other. Every single time. _Every single time_.

But the food came, and the boys were finally free from the couples' constant verbal terrorism. The couple were forced to sit quietly and enjoy their food.

Or rather, enjoy the other one's food. Both Yuya and Yuzu took turns taking a spoonful of their meal, then feeding it to the other.

The others just looked at them. Only Dennis was able to eat; the others lost their appetite.

"It's like a train wreck, and you can't look away," Sora said.

"Sora, be a little quieter!" Gongenzaka whispered. "They can hear you."

"No they can't. They're so into each other's butts, they won't notice."

"Maybe we can ask them to stop?" Dennis asked. "Hey! Guys! _Guys!_ "

Yuya and Yuzu broke their focus. They simultaneously turned to look at the others.

"Guys, I think we need to address something," Gongenzaka said.

"How perfect Yuzu is?" Yuya asked. "If it's that, I agree."

Yuzu shook her head. "No, they clearly want to talk about how great you look in that sweater."

"I only look good because you bring the best out of me-"

"But it-"

"Enough!" Gongenzaka barked. "I'm glad you two found love, really. But you two should cut down on the flirting. A little retraint would be appreciated. We don't want to see it all the time. "

Yuya and Yuzu looked to each other. And for what felt like forever, there was an uncomfortable silence between them. Between everybody at the table. They were all silent, waiting to see where this would lead next.

Finally, the couple turned back to Gongenzaka.

"Gongenzaka, I didn't know you felt that way," Yuzu said. "And look, we understand-"

 _"Thank you!"_ Gongenzaka sighed.

"... That you're jealous."

"What?"

"We know this must be hard for you guys," Yuya told them. "Yuzu and I are dating, so you all might be jealous."

"Or might feel a little left out."

"But you shouldn't feel that way!"

"That's right!" Yuzu said, clasping her hands together. "We'll always be your friends, and that won't change."

Sora and Dennis both started to chuckle. They both looked at Gongenzaka with devious little egaos.

"Yeah, Gonny," Sora said to him. "No need to be jealous."

"I'm not jealous!" Gongenzaka snapped.

"If you say so," Dennis said with a wink.

"I don't need you guys encouraging them!"

Dennis winked again. "It's fine, Gongenzaka. No need to be jealous when you have us."

Yuya nodded. "We'll always make time to hang out with you guys, don't worry."

"You can't get rid of us _that_ easily!"

Yuya chuckled. "Ha! Good one, Yuzu!"

Yuzu lifted up her spoon of fudge, then brought it up to her face.

"Thanks!" she said to Yuya.

"No problem, my sweet."

Yuzu blushed, and her hand trembled. And it was that one moment of weakness that made the fudge fall out of her spoon, right into her chest.

Yuzu realized her mistake and picked off the fudge. But to her sadness, the elegant English writing was now stained with brown. "My shirt!"

"I'll get it!" Yuya said.

Yuya reached across the table to grab a napkin. His hand was immediately met with the hands of the other boys, who grabbed onto him and held his arm down.

"Inappropriate!" they said in unison.

Yuya blushed. "O-oh. I wasn't thinking."

He turned to look at Yuzu, who seemed confused. But once she understood what they boys meant, she also started blushing.

This was followed by twelve minutes of awkward apologizing from both parties. And luckily, there were no more incidents.

* * *

... Until the bill came.

Everyone stared at the bill before them. It was a sizable bill, since they bought meals for six people. But since each meal's price was listed, the crew were able to pay for their meals individually.

Yuya dug into his pants pocket, then produced a wallet with Performapal monsters on the sides. Opening it up revealed not only a lot of coins and bills, but also pictures of his family, forty eight of his pets, and many, many pictures of Yuzu.

"Hold on, Yuya," Yuzu said to him. "I'll pay for the both of us."

Yuya shook his head. "No, don't worry about it. I'll take care of this."

Yuzu put her hand on his. Instantly, the duo returned to egao-ing and blushing. They turned their heads away from each other, but would coyly peek at their partner.

After a moment, Yuzu said, "It's fine! I got this, sweetie."

"No, you don't worry," Yuya told her. "Save your money for something special."

"I am: you."

"Yuzu!"

"Yuya!"

"Why don't you two split the bill?" Sora asked.

Yuya looked to him. "Because I want to pay for both of our meals."

"It's too bad, because I will," Yuzu giggled.

Yuya giggled in return. "Oh yeah? We'll see about that."

"I may be busy seeing you, but I'll still pay attention. I'll stop you if you try to pay."

"I'll gladly stop you, because that means I get to reach out and hold your hand."

"Yuya!"

"Yuzu!"

Sora looked at the others, terrified. "They're trapped in an infinite loop of flirting!"

Sawatari dug into his pocket. "Aaah! Forget it, let's just pay for them. We don't have all day to watch them make goo-goo eyes at each other."

As Sawatari threw some money onto the table, Dennis reclined in his chair. He placed his hand on his chin, and his eyes drifted to the floor. Now, it was time to think of a plan.

"Maybe we can go to a theater?" Dennis said. "Where we can watch a nice movie? In silence?"

Yuya looked to him. "We can't."

Gongenzaka took in a deep breath. Oh boy, he knew something asinine was about to be said.

"We're banned from the theater," Yuzu explained.

"We were making too much noise and kept talking," Yuya added.

"Which is understandable."

Gongenzaka sighed. Yep, there it was.

"Maybe we can duel at my dojo?" he proposed.

"Oh, great!" Yuya said. "Then we can show you guys our partner's act-"

"Never mind!" the other four said in unison.

Yuya egao'd. "Well, I guess we need practice before we can show it off."

"You're already perfect," Yuzu said as she put a hand on his shoulder. "But it's nice that you choose to help me improve so much."

"No! You make me better and better all the time, you're so inspirational!"

"I think you're confusing me with yourself again, because _you_ inspire _me_!"

 _"You~"_

 _"You~"_

 _"You~"_

 _"You~"_

The two once again entered an infinite loop of flirtation. This made Sora turn away from the table and vomit into a potted plant.

Gongenzaka, Sawatari and Dennis looked at each other nervously. They wondered if they could sneak away from the duo, or if they were doomed to be forever trapped by their smothering love. This wasn't as scary as facing Zarc, but it was sure up there.

"What do we do?!" Sawatari asked them. "They're too oblivious to stop, they can't be reasoned with, and they'll probably find us if we run."

"I think I have an idea!" Dennis said. He slammed his fist into his open palm.

"What?" Gongenzaka asked. "Please, anything that could save us would be great."

"Anything!" Sawatari insisted.

 _"Anything."_

"Yuzu is Ruri, right?" Dennis asked. "They share a body, right? So they're like sisters."

"Right."

"And that makes _who_ Yuzu's brother?"

"... Reiji?" Sawatari asked.

 _"Shun,"_ Gongenzaka corrected. "And he's always spying on his sisters, so he must be nearby."

Dennis turned his head to a nearby patio table. He waved to the person sitting there, whose face was covertly hidden behind a menu.

"Shun! Shun!" Dennis called out.

The menu lowered, revealing Shun's face. His angry, _angry_ face. "How did you know I was here?"

"I can sense your rage," Dennis explained. "Now, would you be able to help us separate Yuya and Yuzu?"

"Or at least make them stop flirting," Sora groaned, lifting his head up from the plant.

Shun shook his head. "No."

"No?" Sawatari asked.

"No," Shun confirmed. "I... I can't. I can't split them up, or make them stop."

"Did you do what you do for Yuto and Ruri?" Gongenzaka asked. "Try to intimidate Yuya? Or... ?"

"Everything..." Shun said quietly. "I tried everything I had, and it wasn't enough to stop them. They... they know no fear, or remorse, or shame."

They turned to look at Yuya and Yuzu. The two continued their infinite look of "you's," but now planted a kiss on the other's cheek each time they spoke.

Sora threw up again.

"Maybe we can try running," Sawatari said. "If we split up, or we use the limo-"

"No," Shun said. "You can't escape them. Once they find you, they won't stop. They're completely unaware of how much trouble they cause."

"We're stuck with them forever, then" Gongenzaka said.

Shun nodded. "Until they decide to call it a day and go home. But even then, they still stay up all night to talk on the phone."

"They don't sleep?!" Dennis asked. _"Wow!"_

"They don't sleep. I don't know why, but they seem to be unstoppable when they're together. And we have to live with it."

"I don't want to live anymore," said a sad, broken Sawatari.

* * *

 _ **A/N: For anyone asking about Gongenzaka not being in Academia: he decided to go home shortly after the whole parasite incident. Since Yuya and Yuzu weren't there, and he didn't care about learning Fusion Summoning, he just decided to drop out and head back to the Pendulum Dimension.**_


	46. BONUS Level 7: List I Could Do

_**Fun Fact: Yuto and Yugo prefer speedos, Yuya prefers swimming trunks, and Yuri prefers sunbathing in a chair and not going in the water.**_

 _ **Description: Ruri and Yugo team up to find something important.**_

* * *

Ruri had a set of papers, stapled together and given its own cover page. At seven pages (not counting the cover, index, and an explanation on terms and their meanings), this project was an intensive list for something dear to Ruri's heart.

The list was called the _Butt List_. The Butt List had a list of all the male Lancers' rears (sans Shun and Reiji), and scored them on various categories: shape, size, perkiness, smoothness, bounce, softness, and how well they filled pants. Each butt would also have their own series of notes, often stretching multiple pages.

This list was Ruri's pride and joy. She would work on it at least one night a week, and she was constantly adding new information to her work. When she was done, she would hide it at the back of her book shelf, confident that no one would ever find it. It was one of the few things Ruri kept secret from her sisters.

So when Ruri woke up one day, found that her window was open, her books were thrown to the floor, and her list was missing, you can imagine the horror she felt

* * *

Yugo was crouched beside his D-Wheel, in the Sakaki family's driveway. He ran a rag over the bike's exterior, while his free hand held onto one of the handles.

Ruri stood behind him, nervously wringing her hands. She hated waiting, being patient for this. Her anxiety was through the roof at this point.

"You done?" she asked him.

"Almost!" Yugo told her. "Just stay quiet, and..."

Yugo dropped the rag to the floor, then rose up to greet Ruri. After wiping some sweat off of his brow (and leaving a bit of oil on his forehead), he turned to Ruri and gave her a thumb's up.

"So, what brings you here?" he asked her.

Ruri looked over to Yugo's shoulder, to the bike parked in the driveway. As expected, his D-Wheel was in pristine condition, with very few scuffs and scratches on the exterior. A small side car, matching the white paint of the main bike, was attacked to the left side.

"What's with the side car?" Ruri asked.

Yugo looked over his shoulder. "Eh, that's for the pets, when they go for a ride."

As if answering a cue, a deep, long meow came from the side car. A cat's fat head popped up and looked at the humans. It was Core, and he was letting out a loud yawn to greet them.

"Core's lost some weight, so he's finally able to fit inside," Yugo explained to her. "I was going to take him for a ride around town, so we could celebrate."

"... Huh," was Ruri's only response to that. "Anyway, speaking of bikes! That's why I needed your help."

Yugo tilted his head. "Wha...?"

"So, here's the thing," Ruri explained. "Every night, I lock my bedroom window, so if Shun is spying on me, he can't get in. But I must have forgotten to lock the door last night, because he got in, and..."

"And what?" Yugo asked.

Ruri blushed.

"And?"

"N-nothing important," she said quietly. "Well, it's important to me, but it doesn't really... matter... what it is... Yeah."

"Tell me," Yugo said.

"It's not important."

"Tell me! I wanna know now."

"It's not-"

Yugo frowned. "You can't keep me in suspense!"

"Fine, fine!" Ruri said. "You can't tell anyone about it."

"Deal."

Ruri took a deep breath. "Okay, so... It's a Butt List. It scores the butts of the Lancers, and each butt has notes that delve into the personal details."

Yugo put a hand to his chin. He looked down to the ground, and then moved his gaze over to Core.

"Oh," he said quietly.

Ruri was cringing hard now. Her hands grabbed hold of her bangs and pulled on them. Her normally serene face was now redder than Yuya's hair.

"I'm sorry!" Ruri cried out. "Please, don't be angry! But you can see why I wouldn't want it in someone else's hands, right?"

"No, I get you!" Yugo told her. "And look, I'm cool with you checking out my butt. Rin might not like it, but-"

"I was checking out Yuto's butt."

"Oh."

"Yeah..." Ruri said sheepishly. "So, about the list? If Shun has the list, he could use it as blackmail."

"Why would he do that?" Yugo asked her. "He's crazy about you.

"That's just how siblings are; they love you, but they also torment you. And he'd probably use that to make me stay away from Yuto, or to make me spy on the other girls."

"The bastard! Turning you against others..."

Yugo punched his open palm. He stared right through Ruri. "Where is he? I'll run him over right now!"

"That's the problem!" Ruri said. "I don't know where he is, and he's not answering his Duel Disk!"

"So we're going to ride through town and run him over when we see him?"

"No!" Ruri shouted. "We need to ride downtown and find Reiji. I'm sure he can help us find Shun as quickly as possible."

Yugo nodded. "Alright! You, me, and Core will ride the winds and go on an adventure."

Core meowed. Yugo knelt down and rubbed the cat's head. The cat let out a loud, friendly purr and rubbed its nose along Yugo's wrist.

"This will be Core's first adventure," Yugo said. "And he's going to do a great job playing detective, isn't he?"

Core meowed again.

"He's excited."

* * *

Reiji was a busy man. Not many people were allowed to just enter his office in the Leo Corporation tower, unless they had a meeting scheduled. Even the duchess of Japan needed to sign up for a waiting list just to speak with him.

Luckily, the Lancers were able to talk to him at any time. Yuya, especially, was granted permission to not only visit him whenever he wanted, but he was also allowed to take up as much of Reiji's time as he wished. Thus, Yugo and Ruri had no trouble getting into the tower and into Reiji's office.

Now, the two were standing before Reiji's desk, with Core by their feet. But the CEO was not even looking at them; his eyes were glued to the stack of papers in his hand, and they were darting down a page.

"So, do you know anything about this?" Yugo asked him.

"About what?" Reiji asked them.

"About my list!" Ruri said urgently. Her hand clutched at her shirt.

"I wasn't paying attention," Reiji told her. "Something about Shun and a list? I don't really have time for this."

"It's important!" Ruri pleaded. "Shun's not answering my calls, and we need you to track him!"

"And what can I do, exactly?"

"You should know where he is; just listen in on him," Yugo told him.

Reiji lowered his hands, and he looked up to Yugo and Ruri.

"We know you always spy on us through our Disks," Yugo said. "And, like, that's pretty weird and suspicious, but..."

"But we'll put that aside for now," Reiji said. "As a matter of fact, I can help you find Shun right now. But I don't think that's what you want."

Ruri tilted her head to her left. "What?"

Yugo tilted his head to his right. "Why not?"

"Shun doesn't have your list," he told them.

"So you _admit_ to spying on Ruri!" Yugo shouted, raising his fist to Raiji. "What a creep! I'll knock your lights out if-"

Reiji raised his hand to silence Yugo. Yugo blinked and pulled down his arm, though kept his hand balled up.

"I don't admit to anything," Reiji insisted. "I can track your Duel Disks' positions, via a built-in Global Positioning System. If Shun was anywhere near your house last night, then I would have picked him up."

"So you were looking at our locations?" Yugo asked. "That's convenient. But what if Shun didn't have his Duel Disk on him?"

"Shun would never leave his Duel Disk behind," Ruri told him. "He'd never let himself go unprepared for a fight."

Reiji nodded. "Right. So Shun is not the culprit."

"Then who is?"

"I detected another Duel Disk's signal in your room last night. And Ruri, it's someone very close to you."

* * *

Reiji had given them a name: Shuzo Hiiragi. Possibly the only person who would be worse than Shun, for a situation like this. If he had that list, who knows what awkward conversation would soon ensue.

Ruri needed the list, and she was willing to fight Yuzu's father to get it. And to avoid any awkward conversations, she had to confront him first and show him who was boss.

Shuzo hadn't been answering his Duel Disk, however, so Yugo, Ruri and Core had to ride across the city, hit up the Hiiragi household, and confront the man inside.

Shuzo was sitting on a couch in his living room, reading a book Yoko had lent him. One foot was resting on his other leg's thigh, propping up the book for him. His left hand held into the book, while he stretched his right hand across the top of his couch.

He heard Ruri step into the room. He looked up to his daughter and immediately dropped the book.

"Hey, Yuzu!" he said to her. "You were in such a rush this morning. What happened?"

"Ruri," Ruri corrected. "I had to run because I lost something important."

Shuzo frowned. "What is it?"

"You know what it is, Mr. Hiiragi!" Ruri snapped. "The list. _My_ List. And I know you have it."

Shuzo immediately jumped up from his seat. The book flew off his lap, hit the coffee able, and slid to the floor.

"What are you talking about, sweetie?" he asked her. "How could you accuse me of stealing from my own daughter?"

Ruri egao'd ruefully. "Oh, really? Then explain why you were in my room last night."

"I-I-I wasn't!" Shuzo stammered. "Please, Ruri! I want to help you, but tell me what's happening!"

Ruri turned to the archway. "Yugo, he's not talking. Bring in Core."

Yugo turned the corner and appeared at the archway. By his feet was an obscenely large, obscenely cute, and obscenely hungry cat the size of a half-full garbage bag, who was purring like a car engine.

"Geez, is that a skunk ape?!" Shuzo barked. "What is Yoko feeding that thing?!"

"No, it's Co-" Ruri began. "... Wait, why do I keep hearing about skunk apes?"

Yugo and Shuzo shrugged.

"Mr. Hiiragi, I'm sorry for this," she went on. "But if you don't tell the truth on your own, then we will have to make you confess by force."

Core turned his head to the archway. He made his way over o one of the walls and started to bite down on the wood framing.

Shuzo looked down at the cat, then back to the kids. And he looked extremely confused and frustrated with the turn of events. "A cat is biting the wall? What's so bad about that?"

Core pulled his head back. After a bit of struggle, it backed away from the wall, a chunk of the wood in its mouth.

Shuzo's jaw dropped. Yugo knelt by his cat and started to stroke Core's back.

"Good boy, Core!" Yugo said. "I love you."

"Ruri and Yuto!" Shuzo barked.

"Yugo!" Yugo corrected.

"Yugo! You guys come in here, accuse me of stealing..."

"But we have just cause!" Ruri said.

 _"... Threaten me_ in my own home, destroy part of my house..."

Ruri cringed. "Yeah, guess this looks pretty bad."

"I think you two need to run some extra laps at Duel School," Shuzo said. "This behavior is unacceptable, so maybe an extra hour of exercise will keep you on track."

"Yes, Mr. Hiiragi..." Ruri sighed.

"Hehe, _on track_ ," Yugo chuckled.

Core meowed.

Shuzo sighed. His face softened into one of concern. "But yes. I admit that I was in your room last night. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"Why were you there?" Ruri asked.

"Because I needed Yuzu's fan," he explained. "I dropped my Duel Disk in the bath tub. It wasn't working, so I went into your room to grab the fan and use it fan it dry."

"Why didn't you use towels?" Yugo asked.

"Because ninjas broke in and took them, alright? They needed to use them to stop some evil group."

"Tsukikage and Hikage... I wonder what they've been up to?"

Shuzo shook his head. "Long story, not the point right now. The point is that I broke my Duel Disk and wanted to get the fan. But I didn't want to wake my daughters and ask them, so I just went in and took it."

"So you don't have my list?" Ruri said sadly. "What about my books? Were they on the floor when you came in?"

"No to the list, but no to the books," he confirmed. "Now, will you tell e about the list?"

Ruri blushed and turned her head away. She couldn't face Shuzo and tell him the truth. But... Hopefully she could convince him with a lie. But...

"Let's go talk about this in the kitchen," Shuzo told her. "Yugo, you stay here."

Shuzo walked out of the room, passing Yugo and Core in the archway. He made his way down a hall, into the kitchen.

Ruri let out a long, long, _long_ sigh. And then, very reluctantly, she started walking out of the living room.

"This is terrible," she grumbled. "No leads, we're in trouble, and we're wasting time."

"Wait, Ruri," muttered Yugo.

Ruri stopped in her tracks. "What is it?"

"Reiji knew that Coach was in your room last night."

"Right..."

"But if your dad didn't have his Duel Disk on him, or it was broken, then Reiji shouldn't have known he was there."

Ruri's eyes widened. "Unless he was able to spy on us a different way."

"He must have cameras in your room."

But while he said this, Yugo's eyes fell to Ruri's Duel Disk. Ruri followed his gaze, then looked back to him. The two exchanged solemn nods.

"We have somewhere to go, Ruri," Yugo said to her.

* * *

The two were once again standing before Reiji's desk, with Core by their feet. Reiji kept his hands folded in front of him, on top of a stack of papers. Behind Reiji, the afternoon sun poured through the window, coating the room with a warm orange light.

Reiji flipped his scarf back. around his neck. "So, did Shuzo Hiiragi have the list?"

"No, he didn't," Ruri replied.

"That's too bad," Reiji sighed. "But were you able to get any other leads, then?"

"We have one," Yugo told him.

"Reiji, how were you able to tell that Shuzo was in my room?" Ruri asked him.

"By tracking the GPS on his Duel Disk."

"But he didn't have it on when he came into my room."

Reiji's eyes focused on her.

"You couldn't know he was in the room if he didn't have his Duel Disk," Yugo said. "How're you gonna explain that, huh?"

Reiji's voice and expression remained neutral. "I merely detected Shuzo's Duel Disk. I can't tell who was wearing it at the time."

"But the Duel Disk broke before the list went missing," Ruri said. "There's no way you could have known he was in the room."

"Perhaps he was in your room much earlier, but-"

"I was awake until 3 last night!" Ruri said. "He didn't enter my room until after 3, and by then, his Disk was broken."

"And the list was taken after he showed up," Yugo added.

"Which begs the question, Reiji: how could you have known he was in my room?"

Reiji leaned back in his seat. He merely stared at the duo before him with cold, disaffected eyes.

"But we're not here about you spying on us," Yugo told him.

"We already knew you spy on us," Ruri continued.

"Indeed," Reiji said. "And so what? You're wasting time, confronting me about something we all know."

"We're not confronting you for your spying," Ruri said. "We're here to talk about the fact that we caught you lying."

Reiji's eyes widened ever-so-slightly. "Excuse me?"

"You tried to steer our trail right to Shuzo," said Yugo.

"Because I thought he would be guilty. Spying or not, I was correct about him being in the room."

"That' exactly right!" Yugo exclaimed. "And that's the problem!"

"Why wouldn't you be able to detect anyone else?" Ruri asked.

"You would know that someone else was in the room."

"But you didn't tell us. And why would you have a reason to lie to us?"

"... Unless you were in on this the whole time?"

"Logical fallacies," Reiji told them. "Huge leaps and conjecture."

Ruri slammed her hands on the desk. "Admit it, Reiji! You're covering for someone! Heck, you probably _started_ this!"

"Maybe he's covering for Shun!" Yugo blurted out. " _That's_ why he lead us away from Shun! _That's_ why he isn't helping us find him!"

"I can explain," Reiji said. "You're all simply assuming you know the truth, but-"

Reiji let out a gasp. He, along with his chair, fell backwards and crashed onto the floor. The papers, once underneath Reiji's hands, had slipped and fell down with them.

Yugo and Ruri ran over to the other side of the desk. They could see Core on the ground, biting down on Reiji's scarf and pulling at him. Reiji lay on the floor, now pulling at his scarf. His papers were strewn about all over the floor... Including some that Ruri immediately recognized.

Ruri jumped to the floor and started scooping up the pages of her list. Reiji tried to rise up and stop her, but another pull from Core slammed him back to the ground.

"So you _had_ the list!" Ruri exclaimed. "We were right!"

"Why'd you do it, Reiji?" Yugo asked, austere.

Yugo knelt down before Core, then started to stroke the space between his ears. The cat let go of the scarf and lifted his head to look at Yugo. He licked his owner's fingers, then rubbed his face against Yugo's palm.

Now free, Reiji rose up from the floor. Once he was standing, he patted his body to brush off any dust or dirt from the floor. Not that there was much dirt or dust; he always kept his office in immaculate condition.

"Yes, Shun was spying on you at the time," he said to Ruri. "When I saw that you left the window unlocked, I told him about the list."

"So he knows what's inside?!" Ruri gasped.

"No," Reiji said. "I told him to bring me the list, without reading it."

"And why'd he agree to that?" Yugo asked.

"In exchange for his service and silence, I offered him something he wanted," Reiji explained. "Rank-Up-Magic search cards."

"But why?" Ruri asked. "Why did you need the list?"

"Are you a pervert?" Yugo asked.

Reiji turned his eyes away from them. "No. That's not it."

"Then what is it, Reiji?" Yugo asked. "What is it?"

"Funding an army and training them costs a lot of money. Designing and printing new cards costs a lot more. On top of maintaining all the dimensional technology at our disposal, we're bleeding more money than we can make."

Ruri tilted her head. "How are you not making money? Wouldn't people be grateful for all your hard work?"

"Money isn't an infinite source," Reiji told them. "At any rate, we're struggling to pay for our plans for the Link Dimension."

"What do our butts have to do with making money?" Yugo asked. "Wait.. _Gross_."

"Merchandising," Reiji explained.

"What."

"I want to use Ruri's information to make the best merchandise possible," Reiji explained to them. "By producing Lancer merchandise, we can fund our efforts, while also building a positive public reception and drawing in investors. It also promotes the Lancers, which could provide boosts to their careers as Duelists."

"So the merch could help us all out..." Yugo whispered.

"Exactly."

"What kind of merch requires you to know about butts?" Ruri asked.

Reiji didn't answer.

"Reiji? Reiji, what kind of merch requires you to know about butts."

"Nothing improper, I assure you," Reiji told her. "Must action figures, pillows and the like. Nothing that would present a bad image for the people involved."

"That's good, at least..." Yugo said. "But still, stealing wasn't nice."

"Would you rather I ask all of you for this information?" Reiji asked.

"N-no..."

"So you see why I had to be... _selective_ in what I had to do."

Ruri rose up from the floor, papers in hand. She clutched the list against her chest and took a step away from Reiji.

"So, this is pretty uncomfortable, so we're going to leave," Ruri told him. "Sorry to bother you. Never come near my house again."

Core meowed.

Ruri turned to Yugo. "Let's go, guys."

And then she turned back to Reiji. "We're going to go home. And then we're going to see what we can do to stop you from spying on us."

Core meowed. And he and his humans made their way towards the door.

* * *

Ruri, Yugo and Core all stood on the sidewalk outside the Hiiragi home. Yugo was leaning against his bike, while Core and Ruri stepped onto the front lawn.

"Well, I better head inside," Ruri said. "Mr. Hiiragi's already mad at me; I need to do some major damage control."

"Yeah, that won't be pretty," Yugo confessed. "Least we had fun though, right?"

Ruri nodded quickly. "Yes. And I really want to thank you for all your help, Yugo."

Core meowed.

She looked down to the cat. "You too, Core! You were really great today."

The cat purred. He moved closer to the girl ad started to rub his face against her leg. His loud, contented purring could be heard from even across the street.

Ruri held her list to her chest. She looked down at it, and then up to Yugo. "If... if you want, I can show you."

Yugo raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

"The list. Your measurements. Other peoples' measurements. And rankings. And... and stuff."

"No way!" Yugo scoffed. "... I mean, you said nice stuff about me, right?"

Ruri egao'd. "Maybe."

"So I'll just take a peak, but that's it."

Ruri handed to over the list to Yugo. The boy immediately flipped the cover page and scanned through the index.

"My name isn't here."

"You're under Yuya's section," she explained.

"Do our butts change when we take change places?" he asked her. "Like, is my butt different from Yuto's? I have the nicest butt, right?"

"Nicest is hard to define," Ruri said. "Each butt is ranked by specific categories."

"Ah."

"There's shape, size, perkiness, smoothness-"

"Yeah, got it."

Yugo flipped to the page with Yuya's notes. Although his reading skills were not as refined as, say, Yuto's, he could still read through the list with only minor difficulty.

"So, I rank third in roundness," he said. "And-"

The list burst into flames in his hands. He immediately dropped it to the ground, letting the pages burn and blacken before everyone.

"Oh my God!" Ruri exclaimed.

They watched in horror as the list slowly burned. Its pages curled, and pieces of the paper started to fall away.

"No..."

Soon, the list was reduces to a pile of ash, and chunks of black, unreadable shreds.

Ruri looked up at Yugo, who simple bit his lip.

"Yeah, sorry..." he said sheepishly. "That's been happening sometimes."

"What?" she asked.

"Yeah, I think it's our Zarc power?" he mused. "Yeah... Sometimes we create new cards. Sometimes me and ny brothers can read each other's minds. And sometimes we accidentally start fires with our minds."

Ruri just stared at him. Yugo bit his lip again, much harder than before.

"Look on the bright side!" he said. "Uh, at least the list... can't be used against you?"

Ruri just continued to stare at him.

* * *

They gathered underneath a tree in the Hiiragi family's backyard. Ruri's hands dragged a pile of dirt to cover up a small hole in the ground. The more dirt she moved, the less of the burnt list could be seen.

Once the list was completely buried, Ruri knelt down on her knees. She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes, and she engaged in a small, thoughtful silence for a moment.

A single tear ran down Ruri's face. She let out a shaky sigh, then let her hands fall to her sides. She threw her head up to the sky and watched the tree's swaying branches, and saw a few green rain down on them.

Yugo broke the silence. "It'll always be here, Ruri. You can come mourn any time you want."

"Thank you," Ruri whispered.

Core sat beside the grave. He wasn't particularly interested in the scene; he spent mot of this time giving himself a tongue bath.

"I'll miss you," Ruri said to herself.

"But we'll have the memories," Yugo said. "It's... I know it's not the same and stuff, but-"

"You're right," Ruri responded. "It's not the same."

Ruri clasped her hands together. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and let out a small, sad gasp.

"... I'll miss you, list," she said.

Ruri put her hands to the dirt. Honestly, she was hoping that the list would somehow sense her feelings, her sadness. That if the list was looking down from heaven, it would see how much it meant to her.

"Ruri!" Yugo called out.

Ruri opened her eyes. To her surprise, a stem was rising up from the dirt. At the top of the stem was a bud, which was slowly blooming. Brilliant, purple-colored petals spread out and revealed themselves to the world.

Ruri was staring at a beautiful violet. Tears ran down her face, and her hanging mouth curled into an egao.

"I think that flower means something, Ruri," Yugo said to her. "It means that your list is gone, but its meaning isn't. Because now, it's feeding the flower."

Ruri's eyes twinkled. She looked at the blooming flower, taking in its beauty and majesty. And in that beauty and majesty, she could see everything she loved about the list.

And then Core brought his head town to the flower and ate it.

* * *

 _ **A/N: After I finish this fic, I'm thinking about doing a short sequel series, following the ARC-V cast and their kids. Mostly showing off how the world has changed, how duels have changed, and how the ARC-V cast turned out. What do you guys think? Would you be interested in that?**_


	47. BONUS Level 8: Takuto Go-Nobunaga

_**A/N: Here's a birthday gift for Citylover96, who wanted me to write up a chapter for his birthday.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: Yuri is like Ruri's gay best friend. Except he isn't gay, and he isn't her friend. He is just the best.**_

 _ **Description: The boys have to write a short story for class, and Yugo shares his ideas.**_

* * *

Three boys sat together in the mindscape. Their collective wills had made the area look much like the Sakaki kitchen home, and they were sitting at the kitchen table. Imagined versions of Yusho, Yoko and the pets moved in the background; partially out of focus, as no one was concentrating on ringing them to life.

Yuya and Yuri sat across from each other. They were discussing possible routines for future duels. Yuri was pleading his case for more pyrotechnics and rings of fire, while Yuya argued about the safety issues. But Yuri was determined to see his visions come to life, regardless of the dangers. And honestly, his case was a strong one.

Yugo, meanwhile, pat the cat on his lap. His mind's version of Core, who was much more thin and compact than he was in the real world. The cat purred softly, and its its nails dug into Yugo's leg.

Sometimes, the mind is not kind.

Enter Yuto. He crossed the threshold and entered the kitchen, wearing his Maiami Second uniform. His brothers all stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to him.

"Hey, Yuto," Yuri said cooly.

"How was school?" Yuya asked. "Was the test hard?"

"Of course not!" Yugo huffed. "No one's better at math than Yuto."

Yuto egao'd. "I'm not that amazing at math, honestly..."

But then, he gave his brothers a confident nod. "But yes, I feel like I aced it."

Yuya and Yugo threw their fists into the air, while Yuri clapped politely. All three boys erupted into cheers, hollers and hoots for their brother.

Yuto blushed at the attention. It was a little embarrassing, but it was honestly nice. He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, and waved his other hand to his brothers. Soon, their cheers petered out, and their attention fell back on him.

"We have another issue, though," Yuto told them. "Miss Satonaka wants us to write one a creative short story for tomorrow."

"Well, you better get started, then," Yuri responded.

Yuto shook his head. "I studied for two days to take that math test. When to comes to math and science, I'm always doing the work. I'm taking a break now."

"Boo, you whore," Yuri sighed. "But that's fair enough."

"Yeah, you deserve a break, Yuto," Yuya agreed. "I can write the story for you."

"Thanks, Yuya," Yuto said, sighing with relief. "It's not for marks; it's just to see what we have-"

Yugo slammed his fist on the table. Though their parents, Core, and the other pets didn't even react, the three brothers all looked to him.

"Hey, hey!" Yugo declared. "Look, I'm not the best writer."

"You're the best _artist_ ," Yuya told him.

"Aww, thanks!" he said. "B-but yeah! Wait, yeah! I want to write, too. I had a great idea for a story."

"I'd like to write, too!" Yuri interjected. He egao'd right at Yugo.

"No, you don't!" Yugo barked. "You just want to stop me from writing!"

"I'm offended!" Yuri huffed. "I have genuinely good ideas. My creative spirit is dying to get out and show itself to the world."

"Smut isn't a good idea."

"It's better than losing a duel and getting absorbed, innit?"

"Yugo! Yuri!" Yuya shouted. "Enough!"

The two looked to Yuya this time. Yugo's hands drifted below the table, and he went back to petting the fake Core.

"I have an idea," Yuya continued. "Why don't we all get an hour to write up something? Then we see which one we like best, and that person will get to write the full story."

"Great idea," Yuto added. "I'll be glad to critique everyone's work."

Yugo shrugged. "That's fair, I guess."

"We should honestly just give me the job," Yuri said. "We all know I'm going to write the best story. I don't feel the need to humiliate my lovely baby brother in a competition, on top of it."

"We're the same age, fruitcake."

"But you'll always be my lovely baby brother, Fusion Conscription."

"And you'll always be my favorite punching bag."

"I doubt that," Yuri said. "Because-"

Yugo stood up and leaped up. After flying over the table, he jumped onto Yuri and tackled Yuri to the ground.

"You were saying?" Yugo asked him.

* * *

Yugo was the first one to take control and start writing. He had asked for complete privacy, leaving his brothers to stay within the mindscape and distract themselves for an hour.

This time, Yuto, Yuri and Yuya were rifling through a pile of cards on the table. The three of them were going through all their cards, discussing strategies to best bring out their decks' best qualities.

Yuri tapped his Ophrys Scorpio. "I'm saying, three Scorpio, one Cobra."

"But if we draw our lone Darlingtonia Cobra, then the whole plan's ruined," Yuya replied. "That means any Scorpios we draw will be dead on arrival."

Yuto crossed his arms and said, "But it also reduces the odds of us drawing any Darlingtonia."

"Exactly!" Yuri said. "Focus on the engine starter, not what it leads to. Plus, it means you'll have less of these cards in your deck, freeing up space for other cards."

"Well, that's a good point..." Yuya mused. "We do have a cramped deck as it is... But still, another Cobra couldn't hurt too much, could it? To ensure the strategy can get off?"

"What if we draw both Cobras?" Yuto asked him. "Then the strategy is ruined, and we have a bad hand."

"What if we draw more than one Scorpio? Same thing."

Before Yuya could continue, he was interrupted by the sound of the fridge door swinging open. They all looked to the fridge and saw Yugo step out, carrying a piece of paper in his right hand.

"Guess what I got!" he cried.

He ran over to the table, then took a seat beside Yuto, across from Yuya and Yuri. He slammed the paper to the table, then pointed to the bolded title at the top: _Manifest Destiny._

"It took a while, but I got it down!" Yugo said proudly. "You guys want to hear it?"

"Eh," Yuri commented, shrugging.

"Go ahead, Yugo," Yuya said warmly.

Yuto extended a hand out, touching the edge of the paper.

"You read it out loud, I'll read the paper," Yuto said. "I'll check for spelling errors."

Yugo pulled the paper out from under Yuto's hand. He held it up to his face, cleared his throat, and began to read.

"This is the story of Takuto Go-Nobunaga," he told them.

* * *

 _Takuto Go-Nobunaga was the coolest biker alive. He fought hard, he played hard. And when he fought and played hard, he was a fighter and he was strong. He smoked a lot of cigarettes and cigars, but he didn't do drugs or anything because he doesn't need them._

 _Like really strong. One time, he didn't bother to duel a guy. He just set his own hand on fie, then punched the guy, and then his punch set the guy on fire!_

 _He was o cool. But you know what mde him cooler? His women._

 _He was covered in women all the time. He had three beautiful girlfriends: Rineba, the Amazoness warrior from the Amazon. Yuasb, the sexy model from the wastelands. And Titania, the rebel princess from the future. They could all fight and were super strong, but Takuto was so strong all the time, so he did all the fighting. He needed to quench his blood thirst through battle._

 _One day, Takuto was riding his motorcycle down the inner-city highway by Neo-Seoul. But when he looked up to the sky, he saw that a giant UFO was landing in the distance. So he quickly rode his bike down, and arrived at the forest where the UFO fell._

* * *

"So he just heads to the forest?" Yuto asked. "There's no transition here, aside from a sentence. You should add some detail."

Yugo puffed up his cheeks. "It's a rough draft, not the finished story. I didn't put the unimportant stuff in."

"So the girlfriends are going to be important?" Yuya asked. "Because they're just mentioned, and they haven't even appeared yet."

"Yes, maybe save their descriptions for when it's relevant," Yuto said.

"Whatever," Yugo said. "Now, let's get back to the story."

* * *

 _Takuto grabbed his sword as he approached the scene. It was a downed meteor. It opened up to reveal the smoke that poured out. And a floating card floated up to the scene._

* * *

"Redundancies," Yuto said. "Those will need to be fixed."

"Your mouthwill need to be fixed, if you keep interrupting," Yugo growled. "Stop interrupting."

* * *

 _The card said, "Ah, so you are the Ideal Human?"_

 _Takuto held up his sword and said, "What are you talking about? I'm only half-human. Can't you tell by my ears?"_

* * *

"What about his ears?" Yuya asked.

"He has pointed ears," Yugo explained. "It's because he's half-demon. I makes it very hard for him to fit in, which is why he's a rebel."

"You never mentioned any of this before," Yuto said.

"It's a rough draft."

"You didn't even establish that demons existed in the world yet. But you did mention his girlfriends, and him setting a guy on fire by punching him."

Yugo puffed up his cheeks again. "Okay, point made. Moving on."

* * *

 _The card said, "You were foretold in a prophecy to destroy the world. You are the Ideal Human, the man of Ideal."_

 _Takuto raised an eyebrow and said, "What prophecy? What is Ideal? I can't be an ideal human because I'm not even fully human. I'm an outsider to this world, like you."_

 _The card said, "That is why you will destroy it one day. And I'm here to stop you."_

 _The card transformed into a man and said, "Shall we dance?"_

 _And Takuto held up his sword, which was now on fire, and ended, "No, we shall duel."_

 _This was when Takuto's sword started to glow. And the dark fires started to grow, forming a dragon out of fire and flames. The dragon rose up to the sky, then breathed bullets of fire down through the forest, at the bad man._

 _"This is Choten no Ryu," Takuto informed him. "Though my demon blood makes me an unwanted outsider, reviled by humans and demons alike, it also grants me the summoning magic needed to make my heart's desire a reality. But I can't use it all the time, because it takes away from my life span, and threatens to unleash my evil, full-demon side."_

* * *

"I think I get it," Yuya said. "So, the alien wants to stop him from being taken over by his evil side, because it could destroy the world."

"No, no, no," Yugo said, shaking his head. "The evil side isn't related to that at all."

"So what's the point of the evil side?" Yuto asked.

"It's cool, and it makes him tragic, because he can't control it."

"See seems to be controlling it just fine," Yuri said.

"That's because he killed enough people to calm it down."

"He sounds like a jerk," Yuto said. "No wonder the alien wants him dead."

"Shut up, he's not a jerk! He's really cool and tragic!"

* * *

 _The dragon said-_

* * *

"The dragon can talk?" Yuya asked.

"Course not!" Yugo barked. "He's saying it telepathically."

* * *

 _The dragon said,_ _"But I won't let your inner darkness take over. As long as you kill, my blood thirst will be satisfied, and he will remain sealed."_

 _Takuto closed his eyes and said, "I believe in you... my friend. Let us activate Formation A..."_

 _Takuto held up his sword and called upon the darkness in his heart. He used it to bathe his fiery passion, which was the dragon. Now, he was playing seriously. Now, he was going to use the power of darkness to defeat the light, and restore balance to the world anew._

* * *

"Did you like it?" Yugo asked them. "I didn't get to write the next part, but Takuto battles the alien. He cuts up all the trees in the forest, then he makes a tornado with his blade, and uses the tornado to throw flaming logs at the alien, killing him."

Yugo put his papers down on the table. His face beaming with a bright egao, and his eyes wide with excitement, he looked towards his brothers and waited for their responses.

The three brothers just looked at him with varying looks of confusion, distress, or pain. Yuya was visibly cringing, though he tried to cover up his displeasure with the best egao he could muster. Yuto just kept his eyes closed, and his arms crossed. Yuri was wide-eyed and amazed.

"That was..." Yuya said.

"It was definitely a story," Yuri concluded.

"Yeah."

"It was certainly an experience," Yuri said. "And you read it to us, for sure."

"You're very good at writing plot twists, because I never saw that ending coming. But the thing is-"

"It was terrible, quite frankly," Yuto declared. "Nothing is explained, your character is cliche and has no personality traits; everything about him is either violence, or us being told he's an outsider. And we don't even see him being treated poorly by others, or really understand how it has any meaningful effect on him. To say nothing about no one else being around to see or deal with a downed UFO. Because _why_? This reads like a horrible battle shonen. "

Yugo's egao fell from his face, and the twinkling in his eyes started to dim. You could tell how each and every word took something out of him.

"I..." he muttered. "Yuya, what did you think? You agree with him?"

"No, not at all!" Yuya said quickly. "I mean... Well, I mean yes. But also, no."

Yugo lowered his head. "What is it? Yes or no?"

"Yuto's criticisms are good," Yuya told him. "But I still think you have a lot of potential. You're very creative, and Takuto sounds super cool."

Yugo egao'd. "Really?"

Yuya nodded. "Yep! You just need an editor to reign in your ideas a bit, help you where you're not doing well, and try to keep on the right track."

"Exactly," Yuto said. "I think you can improve. But your work has some glaring problems, and they need to be addressed before I'd even consider showing it to our teacher."

"Although Yuto could have been nicer with his critiques."

Yugo turned his head away from the scene. "... Yeah, sorry about that, Yugo."

Yuri slammed his hand on the table.

"Well I, for one, loved it!" Yuri announced. "Fusion, don't listen to them. Never change your work, because it's perfect the way it is."

"Really?" Yugo asked.

"Don't listen to him, Yugo," Yuto advised. "He just wants to laugh at your work."

"Listen to me, Fusion," Yuri told him. "I loved it."

"Don't listen to him."

"Listen."

"Don't-"

"So, who's next?" Yuya asked out loud. "Yuri, do you want to go and write?"

Yuri nodded. He rose up from his seat, then looked down upon the others.

"It's going to be hard to top Fusion's story," he told them. "It was so cool! But I'll have to try my best."

"Reminder that this is for school," Yuto told him. "You can't write something like, uh, _Yuriva Braun and Adolf Hitlerena_."

Yuri scowled. "That... that's actually a better title than the one I was going to use..."

"Okay!" Yuya exclaimed. "I'll write the next story, then. Yuri, use this extra time to come up with a story that doesn't involve people we know."

"... Fine," Yuri said. "Of course, I never expected the masses to understand true art; their minds and hearts are too narrow to see something's value just because it's _'offensive'_ to them."

Air quotes on 'offensive.'

"Mark my words, these philistines will regret passing up my revisionist eye on historical events when I get a movie deal."

"Normies don't appreciate complex art like ours," Yugo added. "They're not domesticated-"

"Sophisticated," Yuto corrected.

" _Sophisticated_ enough to appreciate anything more complex than a skunk ape."

"Thank you!" Yuri said. "I knew you'd understand."

"Yuri's just buttering you up so you side with him," Yuto told Yugo.

Yugo slammed a fist onto the table. "He's still right, though! Right, Yuya?"

Yuya wasn't in his seat.

"... Huh?"

"Yuya left while we were arguing," Yuri told him.

"Totally didn't even notice," Yugo admitted.


	48. BONUS Level 9: Do the Write Thing

_**A/N: I was actually going to leave the short story stuff with Yugo. But since you guys wanted more, here you go.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: When it comes to drawing, riding and dueling, Yugo has razor-sharp focus. But when it comes to writing, he has trouble reigning in his imagination. He sees writing as something that doesn't require guidelines, like other things do. Thus, he has no restraint.**_

 _ **Description: Yuya's story sheds some light on his issues.**_

* * *

 _The one-eyed woman, clad only in a gi and aged, weathered high heels. With weaponry lining the inside of her clothes, and her loyal katana by her side. She had given up life as a duelist, a ninja, and a samurai in her quest for vengeance._

 _It had been thirty years since her father's death. Orochimaru had taken everything from her: her father, her home, her friends..._

 _After Orochimaru's appearance, it wasn't long until Maiami City had fallen to him. He had eradicated anyone who stood in his way. He killed them and took their decks, so he could learn all the Extra Deck Summoning Jutsu._

 _He was a monster. He killed people and took what was theirs, all to further his own ends. He didn't care how many people he hurt, and how many lives he ruined._

 _In a way, Yuzu was like that. She was called the Fallen Angel for a reason._

 _And as she walked through the ruins of Heartland City, she made her way towards her next target: Shun Kurosaki._

 _Shun had his back to her, and his arms crossed before him. He was looking up at the blood-red sky above them, watching as small, sad birds fluttered by._

 _"I've been searching for you," Yuzu told him._

 _"So you've found me," Shun responded. "I suppose you're here to kill me, too?"_

 _"Only if you don't teach me your Senjutsu."_

 _"So you're here to kill me, then."_

 _"I don't want to kill you, you know," she growled. "Ruri is begging me, deep down, not to harm you."_

 _"Listen to her," he responded. "And then give your body up to her. Just because you lost your family, doesn't mean me and Ruri have to."_

 _Yuzu cringed at that remark. Her hand instinctively went to the handle of her blade. But she quickly realized that she didn't want to give into her anger so quickly._

 _Shun turned to look at her. "You've murdered so many people; Sora, Dennis, Sawatari, the entire Ayukawa clan. All for your power trip!"_

 _"It's the only way to beat Orochimaru!" she bellowed. "If I want to challenge him, I need to be just as powerful as him."_

 _Shun smirked. "To be just as evil as him, you mean."_

 _Yuzu didn't answer that._

 _"Face it!" Shun barked. "You're too steeped in sin. Why would I ever teach you about Borb Mode?!"_

 _"To save the world!" Yuzu barked back. "To keep from having more innocents die at the hands of that demon!"_

 _"So they can die at the hands of another tyrant. And I'm going to stop that before it happens."_

 _From the ruins, cracks, and debris, men started to swarm. Shun's Shadow Clone army started to surround the field, forming a wall of angry birdmen._

 _Yuzu smiled. "I knew it wouldn't be that easy. Just promise to use all of your power."_

 _All of the Shuns made their hand signs. "Fire Release: Brave Claw Revolution!"_

* * *

They were in the mindscape. Surrounded by darkness, while they were illuminated only by a spotlight.

Starving Venom's teeth dug into the meat in its mouth, while its claws pulled at whatever didn't fit in its jaw. It was tearing apart is meal, like a vicious, wild animal eating its prey.

Yuri stood before his dragon, egaoing deviously. With his hands folded behind his back, he silently watched his monster eat the meal he had imagined for it.

Two boys stepped out of the darkness, and into the spotlight. Yuto and Yugo appeared behind Yugo.

"What're you up to?" Yugo asked his brother.

"Feeding Starving Venom," Yuri explained.

"What's he eating?" Yuto asked.

The dragon lifted its head up. It let out a soft growl, and it opened its mouth slightly. The chewed, chunky remains of its meal fell out of its mouth, plopping onto the floor.

There was a shoe in the food, along with shreds of fabric, in various colors.

"Starving Venom tolerates the bracelet girls," Yuri went on. "But he gets jealous very easily."

Yuri waved his hand. The image of Rin appeared before him.

Yuri continued, "But only because I let him vent out his frustrations in the mindscape."

Starving Venom opened its mouth wide. It hovered over the unmoving image of Rin. Its saliva dripped down, soaking the top of her head.

But before it could sink its teeth into her, the Rin disappeared.

Yugo lowered his hand. "Yeah, don't ever touch Rin again, thanks."

"Yuri, this is disgusting!" Yuto growled.

"Boo, you guys're no fun," Yuri groaned. "It's not even the real Rin; why do you care?"

Yuri turned to face his brothers. "And come to think of it, why are you even here?"

"Yuya's done with his story," Yugo told him. "Let's go and hear it."

"Fine," Yuri said. "Let's go see what Brother Tomato has to offer."

Yuri turned back to his dragon. But as moved, and to his horror, he was immediately met with the wet, dripping tongue of Starving Venom.

His dragon was giving him a lick.

Yuri stood there, soaked. He looked at his dragon in disbelief. Starving Venom egao'd and tapped the top of Yuri's head with a finger.

"I..." Yuri mumbled. "I..."

Yuri remembered why he wasn't so fond of physical affection.

* * *

The four brothers gathered in the mindscape. Their collective minds had turned their area into the Sakaki home's kitchen. And Yuto, Yugo and Yuri were sitting at the dinner table, watching Yuya.

Yuya was standing in front of them, holding a paper in his hands. He looked to his brothers, and they gave him an encouraging nod.

"I hope you guys like it," he said to them. "But don't be afraid to tell me where I go wrong, okay?"

"Of course!" Yuri said. "I live to please, so I'll be sure to be as _scathing_ as I need to be."

"I'm sure you meant that to be mean and vaguely threatening, but I appreciate it regardless."

"I'm ready to listen," Yuto said, nodding.

"Do your best, bro!" Yugo cheered.

Yuya held the paper up to his face, hiding his growing egao. It was nice seeing him and his siblings get along so well, honestly. The love he felt would help him tell the story he had in mind.

* * *

 _Would you believe that one boy could become a champion duelist? That one boy could stop an orphanage from closing? That one boy could save the world?_

 _You could, if that boy was Yusho Sakuragi._

* * *

"You named him after Father?" Yuri questioned.

"The character is a hero," Yuya informed him. "So I thought that it would be fitting to name him after a real hero."

Yuri had to bite his tongue there. He had a few choice words, but he knew better than to spout them off to Yuya.

* * *

 _Yusho, though young, was the prodigy duelist of the Sakazaki orphanage. An orphanage known for taking in children from all around the world, from all ethnicities. And Yusho made it his duty to unite everyone under the banner of peace._

* * *

"Why did you specify the diversity?" Yuto asked. "It feels tacked on."

"I suppose," Yuya said cautiously. "But I want my story to make everyone feel like they're included, and that no one's left out."

"That's nice," Yugo said. "You fell for the diversity meme."

"The what?"

"Does your story have Muslims?" Yuri asked.

"What are Muslims?" Yugo questioned. "I don't think we have them in the Synchro Dimension?"

"There can be Muslims, sure!" Yuya responded. "I don't see why not."

"What about Xyz users?" Yuto asked.

"Of course!"

"Girls with big boobs?" Yugo asked.

Yuya frowned. "That's a bit sexist, don't you think? I'm not going to just throw in fanservice."

"Do you think that women can't have big boobs in real life?" Yuri asked. "Sounds like body-shaming to me."

Yuya sighed. "Good... Good point. I'll include those."

Yuri and Yugo rose from their seats. They threw up their hands and gave each other high fives.

"They're taking advantage of you, Yuya," Yuto sighed. "... But, I mean... If you can..."

Yuto paused. He turned away slightly, hiding his blushing face.

"You could also include big, round-"

"Slaves," Yuri said.

"Furries," Yugo added.

"Furry slaves."

"Enslaved furries. Or naughty nurses!"

" _Biracial_ naughty nurses."

"Amputees."

"Naughty amputees."

"Why do you guys always have to make everything weird?" Yuya said defensively. "This is a story that's meant to be inclusive, not a... _this_."

Yuto put a hand to his chin. "I mean, the nurse idea... This story might actually work out, if we find some moderation."

Yuya slammed his hands together. The clap quickly silenced his brothers, drawing their attention back to him.

"I'll include everyone and everything!" Yuya told them. "Whatever! But let's go over the main plot first."

* * *

 _Yusho may have been a skilled duelist, but there was much more to him. There was a lot of sadness hidden behind his boasts of pride, and in his laughter. Because deep down, he dueled for the honor of his long-lost father._

 _He would remember the words of his father, from their last conversation:_ "I'll always be here for you, son."

 _"Thanks, dad!" Yusho had said to him. "But I know you'd never leave me."_

 _But now, as Yusho reclined in his chair and looked through family photos, he know that he had been wrong. His father had abandoned him at this orphanage._

 _But still, as he looked over his fellow orphans, Yusho was content. His father didn't guide him, but Yusho was sure to be the guide that these kids needed._

 _He rose from his seat and walked towards the nearest orphanage, a Hispanic boy named Core. His dichromatic eyes made him an oddball amongst the other children, but Yusho loved that unique part of him._

 _"Come on," Yusho said to him. "How about we have a duel, for fun?"_

 _Core's eyes lit up. "Really?"_

 _"Yeah!" Yusho responded. "Wouldn't it be fun?"_

 _It wouldn't, because in a few minutes, their lives would change forever. Our hero would engage in a duel that would kickstart the greatest adventure in his life, as well as his greatest tragedy._

 _"Let's go, Core," Yusho said. "I'll help you learn."_

 _Yusho extended a hand out to the boy. Core took the hand with his own, and let himself be pulled into a hug._

 _"I'll always be there for you, my boy," Yusho whispered._

 _"But I already know," Core told him. "You would never leave me."_

 _Yusho nodded. "I know you need me more than anyone."_

 _Core looked up to the older boy. Tears were starting to well up in his eyes. "You'd never leave me, Yusho?"_

 _Yusho nodded. "I'd only leave if it's to be a hero."_

 _"But you're already my hero, Yusho!"_

 _"Tell that to the headmistress!" Yusho cried out. "Miss Yuno still thinks that I should leave!"_

 _Core pouted and said, "If you go, I'll go. We stick together, Yusho!"_

 _Yusho couldn't help but laugh at that. An awkward, pained laugh. He put his hands on his son's shoulders and nodded._

 _"When I leave this place, you can't follow," Yusho said. "Because you'll be adopted, and I'll just be a traveler, riding the rails. You don't want to end up like me. You have a future."_

 _A rueful frown grew on Core's face. "You want what's best for me, but-"_

 _"No buts, Yuya," Yusho said. "Come on, let's have that duel."_

* * *

"... That's the-...the opening," Yuya concluded. "I didn't write the whole thing out, since I was pressed for time."

Yuya put down the paper. The bright-eyed boy looked to his brothers and egao'd expectantly, waiting for their responses.

But his brothers were less ecstatic than Yuya. They looked to each other in uncomfortable confusion. One could practically hear every drop of sweat fall down their faces, or hear the sound of them gulping.

"Did you guys like it?" he asked them. "It's... I know I'm not the best writer, but I'm always willing to learn and improve."

An un

Yugo bit his lip. "That was..."

"It was- it was a good story," Yuri said.

Yuto crossed his arms. He gave Yuya a sheepish egao, but then slowly turned his eyes away from him.

"That was..."

"Very, very personal," Yuri said quietly. "You could really feel what the lead was feeling on an emotional level."

"It might be a bit _too_ personal for class," Yuto said. "The school already has a lot of major concerns for us."

"Oh..." Yuya said, dejected. "I understand."

"But it was a good story!" Yugo said quickly.

"Yeah, of course!" Yuto added. "Of course."

"It was better than Yugo's story," Yuri said.

"Better than anything Yuri's ever written," Yugo said.

With that, Yuri immediately rose from his chair. And with a wave of his hands, a large stack of papers appeared on the table before him.

"You sure, Fusion?" Yuri said confidently. "Let's see what my story collection has to offer."

"Nothing with explicit sex scenes," Yuto told him.

Yuri pulled up the top paper from his stack. He crumpled the paper up, then threw it to the side.

"Fine," Yuri grumbled. "But I reserve the right to have implicit scenes."

"And our mom can't be in it," Yuya added.

Yuri flipped through the papers. After searching through several pages, he grabbed a piece of paper, crumpled it up, and threw it over his shoulder.

"I don't want to hear anything with skunk apes, either" Yuto sighed. "For real, I feel like I've read nothing but skunk ape facts, for some reason."

Another two pages were removed from the top of the pile.

"No muscle-girl echidnas with four penises," Yugo said.

Yuya and Yuto looked to Yugo, and then to Yuri, and then back to Yugo. Back to Yuri, and back to Yugo. No one made any sudden movements.

"Uh, Yugo," Yuya said. "I really doubt there's something like-"

Yuri grabbed the top paper from his pile, then cast it over his shoulder. And for a long, uncomfortable moment, silence filled the mindscape.

Yuya bit his lip. His eyes drifted between each of his brothers. He didn't want keep the awkward silence, but he didn't want to say anything. He _couldn't_ think of anything to say.

But finally, Yuri spoke.

"True art needs to push boundaries!" Yuri scoffed. "You think that playing it safe and sticking to simple, bland, and non-controversial stuff will make for a good story? ... Perhaps. But it wouldn't make for a _great_ one."

"You're very passionate," Yuya offered with an egao. "That's good!"

"But not _great_ ," Yuri said. "Because I have to stifle my creativity to fit the norms of a world that's not of my choosing. Because they can't look beyond what they view as vulgar, and see the actual _meaning_ behind it!"

Yuri furiously threw his hand forward. He bashed the stack of paper, and the pages were pushed off the table. Paper poured off the side of the table, and onto the floor.

"I have the _perfect_ story for you all!" Yuri hissed.


	49. BONUS Level 10: A Unity of the Minds

_**Fun Fact: Yuya likes stories that have a lot of diversity. He likes it when people from all walks of life come together and egao. He can overdo it sometimes, though.**_

 _ **Description: Yuri subjects his brothers to his creative short story.**_

* * *

 _It was quite a fair day in the de Mille manor, thought the fair and beautiful Marchioness Yoko. She enjoyed her morning kippers and tea with her mother, the Marchioness of Seville, while discussing their daily plans and duties._

 _While the Marchioness of Seville read her rules to her daughter, Yoko picked at the kippers before her. "Is this not the cheapest of fish?"_

 _"'tis!" her mother confirmed._

 _Yoko furrowed her brow. "But why should I not have the best of fish? Where is my salmon?"_

 _"You can't afford to gain the weight," the Marchioness of Seville chided her. "You need to stay prim and presentable, if you want to be court the ideal man. A man who does not seek you for your money, because he already has his own."_

 _Yoko scoffed. "You know I'm married, mama!"_

 _Her mother asked, "How's that deadbeat husband of yours? The one who ran away to join the war efforts?"_

 _"He's great! How's dying alone working out for you?"_

 _Her mother shook her head furiously. She gently dropped her spoon of kippers, then pulled up a silk cloth to wipe her mouth._

 _"I'm serious," the Marchioness huffed. "I know that the Duke of Venom is also getting older in years, and he has the vast fortune he inherited from his father, as well as a title."_

 _"Perhaps you're right," Yoko sighed._

 _"Honestly, you've already waited too long being his friend, rather than his lover. You must strike now, before another woman sinks her claws into him."_

 _"I'll go see the Duke at once. Maybe he'll be more fun than you, mama."_

* * *

 _Yoko now sat in the Duke's parlor. She watched him, his back turned to her, as he peered into the other room; his solarium, home to his many prized plants._

 _Yoko lay strewn on a couch in a rather uncouth, but suggestive position. Though she had no feelings for the man, she thought it would be fun to play along, and see where her game would take him._

 _"What shall we do today?" Yoko asked him._

 _As the Duke turned to face her, Yoko ran a hand down her dress, to push away any creases. Her fingers moved down her stomach, then crossed her hips, and made their way down her long, slender legs._

 _The Duke put a hand to his chin. His hungry eyes watched the woman as she moved. Without words, they could both tell what the other one wanted._

 _"I think I know what you want," said the Duke, Starving Valmont de Fusion Dragon._

 _He flicked his tail wildly. Its length and girth was enough to smash the window when it made contact. It was a thrill for anyone to see. They loved his carnage, almost as much as he did._

 _"But I also know that you won't give it."_

 _Yoko smirked. "Is that so? Perhaps it's because you're not worthy."_

 _"Perhaps it's because I haven't tried to get it. Maybe I want someone who is less experienced in the ways of the world."_

 _"You say that, but you've heard that found yourself in the company of ill repute," Yoko countered. "Many, many times, in fact."_

 _"Be that as it may, I like to have fun. But when I choose to stop living live and settle down, I'll be going for a woman who is young, spry, and inexperienced."_

 _"The ones that are most fun to corrupt."_

 _"Precisely."_

 _"Then I might have a fun idea for a game."_

 _The dragon raised one of his eyebrows. His claws scratched at one of his chins. "Go on."_

 _"I'm sure you've heard of the woman, staying with my great aunt? The girl who fancies herself a future nun?"_

 _"Black Rosa D'ragon?" the Duke wondered. "What about her?"_

 _"It would be fun to see her stray from God's light," Yoko giggled. "And if you manage to make her lose her way, to seduce and corrupt her, then I can offer you the best of my French delights."_

 _Valmont egao'd. "You overestimate your offer... But the hunt is the most interesting part of the game. The thrill of conquest..."_

 _Yoko egao'd in turn. She propped herself up, then ran a hand over her bossom._

 _"Very well," Valmont said to her. "I'll take your bet."_

* * *

Yuya, Yuto and Yugo rose from their seats and applauded for their brother's story.

"That was really good!" Yuya said cheerfully. "Probably your best story yet!"

"Coulda used more sex and violence, but I liked it," Yugo said.

But it was Yuto who clapped loudest.

"I'm really impressed!" Yuto told him. "I didn't think you could make a story like that. It was really interesting."

Yuri egao'd. A small but genuine smirk across his face.

"Glad you guys liked it," he said coolly. "Naturally, I'm my own harshest critic. But I must admit, the story was good, despite being stripped of the obscenities that made it so spicy-"

"Wait," Yuya said. "I've heard..."

Yuri's face fell. He looked at Yuya with suspicious eyes. "What is it?"

"I recognize the plot from something," Yuya explained. "A movie..."

Yugo snapped his finger. "Right! Now that you say it, didn't Ma rent out a foreign movie a couple months ago?"

"No, it's nothing," Yuri said quickly. "Yugo, you didn't even watch the movie - Yuya did."

"Yes," Yuto corrected. "But what was it called?"

 _"Cruel Intentions,"_ Yuya confirmed. "It was about Sarah Michelle Gellar trying to convince her step-brother to seduce that girl."

"The vampire slayer?" Yugo asked. "She's pretty cool, I like her."

"I'm not sure what you're talking about. There weren't any vampires in the movie."

"No, I-"

Yuto's fingers tapped against the table. Once again, everyone was drawing themselves back to him, giving Yuto their attention.

"What?" Yugo asked.

"First off, _Cruel Intentions_ is based off of a French novel," Yuto told them. "You would all know that if you read more books. But somehow, even Yuri's story slipped by me..."

"Yeah, you really dropped the ball, Yuto," Yuri said sadly. "You'll do better next time, though."

"And next time, you don't get to write the story," the purple brother countered. "We can't turn this in; it's plagiarism."

"So what?" Yuri scoffed. "I doubt anyone is going to know about some foreign novel, or a movie made by American devils."

Yugo threw his hands up. "And it's not even worth marks, so who really cares? Let's just turn i the story, call it a day, and play some video games."

"Plagiarism is serious!" Yuto growled. "What if this ends up on our permanent record? Do you think we can go to a good university then?"

"We can't get into a good university now; Yuri's a repeat offender, Yuya turned into a dragon and nearly killed everyone, and I'm not cut out for school."

Yugo's head perked up. He felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. As he turned to his right, he saw Yuya reaching out to him, egao-ing.

"We have each other," Yuya told him. "We'll all work together, cover each other's weaknesses, and keep each other out of trouble."

Yugo blushed. "N-not that I'd even be able to add anything in uni; I'm not the school type."

"We work as a team, an everyone helps," Yuya insisted. "And that's how we're going to solve this assignment."

Yugo tilted his head in confusion. "Say what?"

Yuya egao'd. "We all had some great ideas in our stories, but they didn't work well on their own..."

"... But if we combine them together..." Yuto continued.

"... And use the best parts of each story..." added Yuri.

A short silence fell over the group. The four brothers all waited in silence. After a moment, Yuya, Yuto and Yuri turned to Yugo, though still kept silent.

Yugo looked at them, and they looked at him. And he looked at them, and they looked at him.

"What?" he asked them.

"Aren't you going to finish the train of thought?" Yuri asked. "We need a caboose."

"Well, I didn't know we were doing a thing!" Yugo barked. "I'm not a mind reader."

"Yeah, you can't even read your own mind."

"Both of you, shut up," Yuto said sternly. "Yuya, do you think this'll work?"

Yuya noded vigorously. "Yep! Yuto, we'll take care of the story. By the time you wake up tomorrow, you'll have the best, shortest story ever."

"We're going to kick literature's ass!" Yugo cheered.

"Yeah, fuck the books!" Yuri agreed.

"Let's do it, guys!" Yuya shouted. "For Yuto, so he won't have to bear schoolwork alone! We can do it with Yugo's intense action and world-building!"

"For Yuto!" Yuri said. "We'll do it with Yuya's meaningful characters!"

"For Yuto!" Yugo added. "And we'll do it with Yuri's drama and charisma!"

"Thanks, guys!" Yuto shouted back. "Make me proud!"

* * *

 _Takuto Go-Nobunaga was the coolest Laotian dragon-man biker alive, the current headmaster of the Sakazuki Orphanage, and the hair to the Dukedom of Neo Venom. He fought hard, he played in a way that was inclusive to everybody. He smoked a lot of cigarettes and cigars, but he didn't do drugs because he refused to expose his orphans to anything too dangerous. He was a man of the people, and the champion of his orphans._

 _He was so cool. But you know what mde him cooler? His ethnically, culturally, and sexually diverse women._

 _He was covered in women all the time. He had three beautiful girlfriends: Yokono, the older woman of indeterminate race; Black Core Dragon, a Hispanic girl catboy; and the_ _transracial Catholic debutante known as Starving Valmont de Fusion Dragon._

 _One day, Takuto was riding his motorcycle down the inner-city highway by Neo-France. His hands where on the handles, his feet on the pedals, and his head in the clouds, watching the beautiful sky unfold before him._

 _But to his surprise, he could see something zoom through the air. It was a large, shining... star? A plane? Maybe even a dragon?_

 _The anomaly blasted through the air, towards the outer reaches of town. It stopped right above the Aokigahara forest. Slowly, it lowered itself, becoming more and more hidden by the trees, until it dropped out of sight._

 _Takuto's dragon senses were tingling. He needed to investigate._

* * *

 _Takuto grabbed his sword as he approached the scene. It was a downed meteor. It opened up to reveal the smoke that poured out. And a floating card floated up to the scene._

 _The card said, "Ah, so you are the Ideal Human?"_

 _Confused, Takuto held his sword up defensively. "What do you mean? I'm only half-human; my other half is dragon, and I'm very proud to be born of two worlds and cultures."_

 _The card responded, "You were foretold in a prophecy to destroy the world. You are the Ideal Human, the man of Ideal."_

 _Takuto raised an eyebrow. He lowered his sword, though his senses remained on high alert._

 _"What prophecy?" he questioned. "What is Ideal? I can't be an ideal human because I'm not even fully human. I'm an outsider to this world, like you."_

 _"That is why you will destroy it one day. And I'm here to stop you."_

 _This was when things took a turn for the strange. The card's form started to change and expand, taking on the appearance a more amorphous blob. Two long, tendril-like limbs sprouted from the bottom half of its body, while human arms slithered out from its sides. Its main body expanded, curved and grew into a human's torso. And a human woman's head sprouted from the top. Her blonde hair flowed over her body, her locks descending over her chest._

 _The card was now a naked, human woman. Or at least, that's what it appeared to be._

 _"What are you?" Takuto asked curiously._

 _"Shall we dance?" the creature said to him._

 _Takuto held up his sword, which was now on fire, and ended, "No, we shall duel."_

 _This was when Takuto's sword started to glow. And the dark fires started to grow, forming a dragon out of fire and a rainbow of flames. The dragon rose up to the sky, then breathed a variety of colorful flames at their foe._

 _"This is Choten no Ryu," Takuto informed him. "My dragon blood grants me the summoning magic needed to physically manifest my heart's desires."_

 _The dragon said, "But I won't let your inner darkness take over. As long as you kill, my blood thirst will be satisfied, and he will remain sealed."_

 _Takuto closed his eyes and said, "I believe in you... my friend. Let us activate Formation Venom..."_

 _Takuto held up his sword and called upon the darkness in his heart. He used it to bathe his fiery passion, which was the dragon. Now, he was playing seriously. Now, he was going to use the power of darkness to defeat the light, and restore balance to the world anew._

* * *

 _"...To create a diverse world for all the sexually-liberated French orphans."_

Yuto lowered his notes away from his face. he stared back at the classroom of students, and looked to the teacher.

Every single one of them looked horrified.

Yuto regretted not reading the story before class. Even a hasty rewrite or a slap-dash replacement would have been better than...

What was the title? Yuto flipped to the first page and glanced at the words at the top. _Dangerous Intentions of the Heart._

That was an awful title. That should have been the first warning about the story's quality.

Yuto turned back to the class. He blushed, forced a weak egao, and sheepishly stuffed the papers inside his desk.

"Wh-What did you guys think?" Yuto asked.

The teacher put a hand to her face. She shook her head, then let out a deep, frustrated sigh.

"Ma'am?" Yuto asked her.

"Yuya, I expected you to take this seriously," she said sternly. "I know this wasn't for marks, but you should still take school seriously."

"I-"

"You're not a child anymore," she continued. "But if you insist on acting like one, then you'll be treated like one."

"But..."

"Detention after school. I'm going to help you write a _proper_ short story."

Yuto closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and stood standing. He was just letting all that anger, frustration and annoyance wash over him. He was drowning in fury, almost choking on it. In the darkest chambers of his heart, the powers of Zarc were begging to break out and unleash havoc.

But after a moment of silence, he simply said, "Yes, ma'am."

* * *

 **Next time: The Synchro Dimension arc begins when something else ends.**


	50. Highway 401: You Go, Core

_**A/N: I've feel like written everyone so out of character at this point that I've forever lost my way. But at least the ride is fun.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: The Yu boys can now**_ _ **feel their counterparts interacting with the body. Like Yuri might feel Yuya's spirit hug the body, or Yuto might feel Yuri ruffle his hair and spit in it.**_ _ **It's another way their powers are evolving: because they're so connected, their minds let them feel it, and let them understand what the others are trying to convey. For better or worse, they're getting closer.**_

 _ **Description: The Sakaki family mourn the death of a pet.**_

* * *

The entire Sakaki family were in the back yard of their home. Yuya sat on the ground, while his parents stood behind them. All three of them were looking at the large mound of dirt before them.

Sticking out of the dirt was a small plank of wood. The edges were carved off, making the plank look almost like a human toe. A small doodle of a cat was drawn in the center, and "Core" was written underneath it, in English.

Yusho's arm was around his wife's shoulder. Yoko looked at the ground forlornly, though her face stayed still. She wasn't the type to cry, really. She was the type to keep calm and keep things running smoothly. But she appreciated the comforting touch of her husband.

Sitting on Yuya's lap was his dog, En. He gently stroked the dog, from his head to his back, repeatedly. The dog simply sat there and panted, letting his master comfort him with attention.

Yuya turned his head slightly, towards his parents.

"Dad," he said in a low voice. "Thanks for coming today. I know you didn't really know Core, but..."

Yusho raised a hand, then shook his head to dismiss such thoughts. "It's no trouble, Yuya. It's a father's job to be there for his family."

Yuya egao'd sadly. "Thanks."

One of Yoko's arms around itself wrapping around Yusho's waist. She pulled him closer to herself.

Yusho looked down to her. "So, how did he pass?"

"Oh, it's a sad accident," Yoko sighed. "Core got out of the house, and was struck by a car."

Yusho closed his eyes. "It was sudden then... This must be awful for you all."

"Yuya's a strong kid," Yoko told him. "He's holding it together really well; I think he's been talking to the other boys, trying to make things easier for them."

"Yes," Yusho agreed. "Yuya understands pain, and how to turn it into happiness."

* * *

Yugo was now in control of the body. His finger touched the mound of dirt. He slowly ran his finger up and down, as if to mae sure that what he was seeing was tangible, real.

He didn't speak at first, but he let out a long, deep sigh.

He could feel the presence of his brothers around him. Yuri and Yuto flanked his sides, also sitting, while Yuya stood behind him.

 _Sorry about this, Fusio-_ Yuri started.

But then, he stopped himself. And for a brief moment, stopped to ponder his words.

 _... Yugo,_ he said finally.

Yuto crossed his arms. His eyes, heavy with exhaustion, were focused on the mound of dirt.

 _I wish I got to spend more time with him,_ Yuto said quietly. _I'll miss him, but we never..._

He looked to Yugo, then to Yuya. _I can imagine how you two feel. And I'll be here, if you guys want to talk about it._

"Thanks..." Yugo responded. "You're a good brother. And you, Yuri, and Yuya."

 _The best that you have!_ Yuri chimed in. _I'm not so good with feelings and crying; that's Yuya's territory. But I could sit down and listen. For a second. Maybe._

Yugo continued to stroke the dog. Or rather, it was Yuya who was stroking the dog. Yugo found himself not even thinking about his actions. Despite being in control of the body at the time, he could tell that Yuya was the one petting En.

Yugo thought about this. Yuya was starting to share control of the body with him, to pet En. Maybe he'd relent control, and let Yuya have his time with the dog.

Yugo closed his eyes. He felt himself drifting out of the body. When he opened his eyes, he could see Yuya's body, sitting before him. The body stirred, and the strokes became firmer. Yuya was in full control now.

"Wh- Yugo?" Yuya asked, confused.

Yuya turned his body to look at the boy behind him. Yugo looked down at him and gave him a warm egao, and a little nod.

 _Go on, take over for a bit,_ Yugo said to him. _I can see the grave from here, dude. 'sides, you should enjoy the time you have with the pets, while you still can._

 _Oh,_ Yuya thought. _You're right about that._

Yuya stopped petting the pup. He put his arms under En's belly, then brought the dog up to his face. He pressed his cheek against the dog and nuzzled him softly.

En let out a small bark. He opened his mouth and licked Yuya's cheek repeatedly. His tail wagged in place wildly, and his stubby body started to wiggle and shake.

"He-hey, you're happy today!" Yuya exclaimed. "Least I know you're in a good mood."

Yuto egao'd. _En probably wants to cheer you up._

Yuya turned to Yuto, while En kept on licking the side of Yuya's face.

"En's a good boy," Yuya agreed.

Yuri shrugged and said, _The dog probably doesn't even know what happened. He's cute, but he's none too bright. Like Yuto._

Yuya shook his head. "No, pets know what's going on."

Yuya pulled the dog away from his face. He placed the dog on the ground beside him. En responded by excitedly running around his owner, letting out a few small barks to try and grab his attention.

"When our first cat, Milk died, Core was really sad," Yuya explained. "He was just a kitten at the time, and Milk was like a mother to him."

"It's true," Yoko chimed in.

Yuya blinked. "Mom?"

"They always spent their time together," she went on. "And then, we had to take Milk to a vet. Core waited by the front door for her for days, just waiting for her to come back."

"But she never did," Yuya said.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for that," Yusho sighed.

"But you're here now, though," Yuya said warmly. "Don't worry about it."

* * *

The family now congregated in the kitchen, with Yusho and Yuya sitting at the table, while Yoko prepared a pot of coffee. They had spent about an hour or two together, talking about their lives, and what they had been doing.

Every so often, one of the other Yu boys would take over Yuya's body to join in the conversation. Yuya was the most talkative, but Yuri and Yuto really liked to jump in at the right moments. Yuri especially liked to join in whenever Yoko was talking.

"So that's when I thought, why _not_ have an incest scene?" Yuri concluded. "So that's why one of you needs to come to school and talk to Miss Satonaka."

Yusho looked at his son in confusion. Horrible, off-putting confusion. Was he always like this?

"What did any of that have to do with what we were talking about?" Yoko asked him.

"Nothing," Yuri responded. "I just wanted you to know what I wrote, mother."

Yoko fumbled with the mug in her hand. She was barely able to keep herself from dropping it on the floor.

Yuri's eyes shifted to gray, and the boy started to squint. It was a sign to the parents that relief was on their way: Yuri was giving way to one of their much less creepy sons, Yuto.

"Okay, Yuri doesn't get to talk anymore," he chuckled. "I'm here, though."

"Nice to see you, Yuto!" Yoko said. "Since you're here, would you mind helping me make dinner?"

Yuto nodded. "Sure thing, mother. I think Yugo'd like some tempura, if we can make that?"

"That's a good boy!" Yusho laughed.

"How's Yugo, anyway?" Yoko asked. "He's been pretty quiet."

"He and Yuya are dueling right now," Yuto told them. "We're taking turns hanging out with Yugo."

"Yugo's taking this pretty hard?" Yusho wondered.

"He and Core were very close," Yoko explained. "I get why he'd be so hurt."

"Ah, I see now."

Yuto could hear Yuri scoff. But he chose to ignore the remark and focus on his family. "But Yugo will be fine. He's not the type to hide away and cry. He'll be up and riding soon, I'm sure."

 _Hell yeah, I will!_

 _Yugo?_ Yuto thought.

Yuto's eyes shifted from gray to blue, and they started to sparkle with wonder and energy. His expression softened, and an egao grew on his face.

"Don't worry about me, guys!" Yugo said happily.

"You sure?" Yoko asked skeptically.

"That's the spirit, Yugo," Yusho said. "Keep on egao-ing, and the world egaos with you."

"And you know what?" Yugo said. "I know what I want to do to honor Core."

"Oh?"

Yugo raised his right hand and gave his family a thumbs-up. "Core loved riding with me. We loved riding together, on the open road. So, what better way to pay respects, than to go on a road trip?"

"That's a great idea!" Yusho exclaimed. "Where are you guys going?"

Yoko frowned. "You're not going to dig up his body and take it with you, are you?"

Yugo and Yusho both turned to Yoko, staring at her. And call her crazy, but she could almost feel Yuya, Yuto and Yuri in the room, also staring at her. Five sets of eyes, all staring. And judging.

Yoko pulled up a chair and took a seat at the table. Then she took a long, nervous sip of her drink. She didn't make eye contact with them.

"Well, I mean..." she said meekly. "That seems like something Yuri would do, so..."

"Yuri wouldn't do that," Yugo told her. "Yuri's about upsetting people and having fun, not being gross and weird just because."

"But I- I mean, that's..." Yoko sighed. "My mistake."

"Wow, Yoko," Yusho said with an egao.

"Hey, don't _wow_ me!" she snapped back. "Mister... Mister-"

"What?" Yusho chuckled. "You can't think of a comeback? I thought you are the smart one between us?"

"No, I'm the strong one," Yoko responded. "I bet I can still lift you over my shoulder."

"You're not."

"I'll do it!" Yoko said happily. "I've gotten better with age."

Yusho looked at his wife. His eyes ran up and down her body, taking in her appearance. And the more he looked at her, the more he egao'd. "You sure have."

"Ew, gross," Yugo said flatly. "You two better not make me any little brothers or sisters while I'm gone."

For a moment, Yusho and Yoko stared at each other in silence. And then they chuckled. And then they laughed. And they laughed louder. And Yugo joined in, and his brothers joined in. And some of the birds in the other room joined in.

None of them were really sure why they were laughing. It was just one of those awkward, funny moments in life. A moment where they got to step back and laugh at their own silliness. And to them, they were the most hilarious thing since the middle seasons of _Frasier_.

Yoko lifted up her drink. Hoping to calm herself with a drink, she brought the drink to her lips. But before she could take a sip, she snorted and started laughing again. Coffee splashed back on her face.

The others saw this and started to laugh even harder. Yoko laughed even harder. Yusho buried his face in his hands. And so did Yuya. Yuri held his stomach. Yuto failed to stifle a laugh. And Yugo's laughs turned into loud sobs.

Everyone stopped laughing.

"I don't deserve to laugh!" Yugo cried.

"Yugo..." Yuto said.

Yugo his his eyes behind. He didn't want them to see him cry, but it wasn't like he could stop the waterworks now.

"Core's dead because of me!" Yugo whimpered. "I- I left the door open!"

 _Yugo, it was an honest mistake_ , Yuya told him. _, any of us would have done it._

"I w- I was stupid, and I-I-I wasn't paying at-attention, and Core got out, and-"

Yugo's arm was pulled away from his face. Yoko had risen up from her chair and leaned in front of him. "No more crying."

The woman threw her arms around her son. Yugo returned the hug. And he could feel Yuya hug him from behind. And he could feel Yuto and Yuri each put a hand on his shoulders.

"Remember what your father says," Yoko told him. "Laugh if you feel like crying."

"But that-" Yugo protested.

"Try it," Yusho told him.

Yugo took a deep breath. His voice was shaky and nervous, and he still felt like he was about to bawl his eyes out again. But he managed to let out a small chuckle.

"Go on," Yusho said. "Keep going."

Yugo chuckled again. A little longer this time.

 _You'll feel better_ , Yuya said to him.

Yugo let out a louder, longer laugh this time. He threw his head back and let himself cackle like a lunatic. And the louder and longer he laughed, the better he felt. It was like some of the weight was being lifted from his shoulders.

After a moment, Yugo stopped laughing. His throat was starting to hurt now, and he was really thirsty. But it was better than being filled with bitterness, he thought.

"That _does_ feel better, thanks," Yugo said. "And... Yeah, I think I'm going to do that road trip."

"That sounds like a great idea," Yoko told him. "I'll tell your school, and I'll send you your homework."

"Any thoughts on where you'll go, son?" Yusho asked.

"Yeah, I have an idea," Yugo answered. "There are a lot of people I want to see, back at my old place. Make sure they're all okay."

"That's very sweet of you!" Yoko said cheerfully.

"It's no big deal!" Yugo responded. "'sides, I promised Core I'd show him my old orphanage. Since he's in my heart now, I can keep my promise."

 _Gay,_ said Yuri. _Let's do it._

* * *

 _ **A/N: The original draft here had Yusho get a call, and Yuya said that he understood if his father had to go, and Yoko would have confronted Yusho about how Yuya expected his dad not to be there for him when he needed it. But I decided against this, since I feel like it would have taken away from the current story and added unnecessary drama.**_

 _ **Next time: I have to search through a billion crappy chapters just to find the name I used for Yugo's orphanage, because that's where they're going.**_


	51. Highway 402: With a Clear Mind

_**Fun Fact: Yuto has poor eyesight and needs glasses. This is why he squints all the time. He has better eyesight when using Yuya's body, but he still squints out of habit. (This is based off of one darkvalkyria's posts on Tumblr. They gave me permission to use this, which was really cool of them.)**_

 _ **Description: After the death of Core, Yugo and his group arrive in the Synchro Dimension.**_

* * *

Yugo, his bike, the man named Gongenzaka, and their luggage found themselves on a roof. On their asses, after falling through a time and space.

Yugo slowly rose to his feet. As he stood up, he could see the roads above him. Lanes specifically for Riding Duels, casting their enormous shadows over him. And even further behind them, he could see the the towers and buildings from the richest areas of town.

Figures. Even with the Synchro Dimension becoming a better place, the superiority of the Tops could still be felt by the Commons.

Below them, he could hear the sounds of children's laughter. Looking over the edge of the building, he could see a few children playing in the back yard. Some were playing with a worn, patched-up ball. Others were sticking to a patio, crowding around two kids as they dueled. A cardboard box was their table, and their battlefield.

Yugo took a deep breath. A feeling of nostalgia washed over him, reminding him of his past experiences in that yard. His first thoughts were of a duel he had with Rin.

After a moment of contemplation, Yugo turned to Gongenzaka, who was rubbing his head. Yugo extended a hand out to his friend, helping him to stand.

"And why couldn't we just take public transit?" Gongenzaka grumbled.

"Because I'm not going to waste time and money," Yugo said gravely. "And Clear Wing got us here, safe and sound, _for free_."

"Yes, but public transit offers less of a risk for brain damage."

Yugo scoffed. "I land on my head all the time, and I'm fine! So let's just move on; they're expecting us."

Gongenzaka looked around the roof. So far, he just saw a flat, square landing, and no ways down the building. "And how do we move on?"

"We shimmy down the drain pipe."

Yugo dashed towards the front edges of the rooftop. Once he was at the very edge, he knelt down and pointed downward.

"See, I used to climb up and down the drain pipe to get up here!" he said proudly.

And then he took a closer look at the pipe. He put his hand on it, then gave it a little shake. The entire pipe started to rattle, like it was going to pop off at any second.

He looked back to Gongenzaka. "Ah... Guess we're too big now, haha."

Gongenzaka sighed. "So we scream for help?"

"Yes."

Yugo could feel the presence of Yuri. His brother's ghostly image was now in front of him, floating off the edge of the building. _Why don't you jump?_

"I could break my legs!" Yugo responded.

 _So why don't you jump?_

* * *

One rescue later, and the gang had safely made it off the roof. Now inside the orphanage, Yugo and Gongenzaka now rested in a spare bedroom.

The room was small, cramped. It was a storage room right next to the laundry room, but much of the stuff had been cleared out to make room or their visitors. Now the room consisted of two mattresses on either side, a pile of clean pillows pillowcases and blankets on the corner, a laundry hamper.

Yugo sat on his mattress, next to some of his bags, while Gongenzaka pulled out items from his bag and laid them out on his own mattress. The two stayed silent, not really wanting to look at each other or address their awkward rescue.

Yugo bit his lip. He wondered if he should say something, apologize for getting them into that situation. He decided to finally break the silence. "Hey..."

One of Yugo's bags moved.

Yugo turned to look at the bag. The bag was starting to wiggle in place, and he could hear breathing from inside. The top of the bag started to lift up, and top zipper started to peel back.

To Yugo's surprise, En's head peaked out from the bag. The dog looked right at him and let out a playful bark.

Yugo's jaw dropped. "What the hell? En?!"

Gongenzaka turned to look at the scene. "What now?"

Yugo could hear the sound of Yuri chuckling in his mind. He could feel the presence of his brother behind him, leaning over his shoulder to look at the dog.

 _I thought we could use some more company!_ Yuri said cheerfully. _So I stashed him in the bag while you were talking to Yuto and Yuya this morning._

Yuri ran a hand over the dog's head. En, unable to see or feel the hand, didn't react. He simply let out a few more playful barks before starting to pant.

 _You had a bond with Core, so I wanted to have a bond with En,_ Yuri explained. _He reminds me of myself; strong and cute, and outlived his counterpart._

 _"Yugo!"_ Gongenzaka barked.

Yugo, Yuri and En immediately turned their heads to face Gongenzaka. The man had his arms crossed, but they were not as cross as his expression. "What's the dog doing here? You can't stuff an animal in a bag!"

"Wh- I-" Yugo stammered. "But I didn't-"

Gongenzaka quickly moved to the scene. The pulled En's bag's zipper further open, then lifted the dog into his arms. Once En was safely in Gongenzaka's embrace, he pressed his head against the man's chest.

Gongenzaka turned back to Yugo. "This poor thing could have gotten hurt during the travel. He could be dehydrated."

 _Wow, Yugo!_ Yuri gasped. _This was really irresponsible of you!_

"But-" Yugo protested.

"I know you like animals," Gongenzaka said to him. "But you need to be more careful, think things through."

 _You really fucked up here, Fusion,_ Yuri said. _You shouldn't have brought the dog here._

 _Yuri!_ Yugo thought. Angrily. _I swear to God, I'm going to-_

"Oh, great!" came a familiar voice.

The boys and the dog looked to the front of the room. Standing in the door way, hands on her hips, was Yuzu. Except she was wearing Rin's standard clothes, and sported familiar orange eyes.

"So you invite the dog, but not me? Boy, Yugo, you _sure_ have some explaining to do."

* * *

But explanations had to wait until En got some water. So the gang agreed to take the dog into the kitchen and let him roam around, while they sat down and chatted.

The living room was one of the biggest rooms in the orphanage, which was rather big in its own right. It had two sets of tables for the children, and a modest table in the corner for any of the attendants that had dinner duty.

While En drank from a bowl on the floor, Yugo, Gongenzaka and Rin sat at one of the kid tables. Yugo and Gongenzaka sat across from Rin, and a few children joined them at the table; they put themselves on either side of Rin and Yugo, so they could all enjoy each other's company. And at the other table, two children were discussing their recent sightings of a skunk ape.

As Rin ran her fingers through the knotted hair of the child beside her, she looked to Yugo angrily. "So, why didn't you invite me?"

Yugo looked at her, just as angry. A young boy was attempting to feed him his peanut butter sandwich, and was squishing it against his cheek. "Why are you here?"

"If you must know, Yuya told me," Rin responded.

Yugo sighed. _Really, Yuya?_

 _Yeah, sorry..._ came Yuya's voice. _Well, I told Yuzu, and she must have told Rin._

"Wait wait wait," Yugo interjected. "You told Yuzu we'd be here?"

 _Of course!_ Yuya answered. _I tell her everything about me._

"But I don't want the girls to be-"

 _Everything_ , Yuya said seriously.

 _They even sync up their meal times_ , Yuri added. _In the hopes that they could even go to the bathroom at the same time. They plan everything together._

 _It's true,_ Yuya confessed.

 _I know, I watch._

"So, why wasn't I invited?" Rin asked once more.

Yugo crossed his arms. "If you must know, I'm grieving. I'm on a journey to deal with my grief. And my journey is for manly men only."

"Yugo didn't want you to see him cry," Gongenzaka explained.

"Yeah," Yugo confirmed. "Wait, shut up."

Rin rolled her eyes, and she egao'd. "Yugo, I've seen you cry before."

"Well, I didn't want you to see!" Yugo scoffed. "You always get so nice and... and motherly, it's weird."

"I'm not that motherly!" Rin said defensively. "I care, I'm responsible. But I'm not, like, a _mom_."

"You're grooming a kid."

Rin lifted up her hands. She looked to the little girl beside her. The girl had a few tears in her eyes, but her hair now lacked a few more knots.

"Oh..." Rin said. "Was I too rough, Sandra?"

The girl turned to Rin. "It's okay, Rin! Thank you for your help!"

Rin sheepishly turned to Yugo. "Yeah, well- well-"

Yugo just looked so smug right then and there.

"You should try being more responsible," Rin told him.

Yugo stopped looking so smug. In that moment, his high was instantly destroyed by the memory of Core's escape. The incident still weighed heavy on him, making him slump forward and keep his eyes lowered.

Seeing this, Rin's own expression softened. Boy, was there egg on her face now. And as she realized _why_ Yugo was sad, she was sure there was like... a giant bird on her head, continually laying eggs and cracking them on her face, or something.

Rin wasn't great with analogies.

"Yugo, I didn't mean anything bad," Rin said quietly. "You can be a goof, but I still think..."

Rin extended a hand outward. Her hand found one of Yugo's and rested on top of it. Her touch made Yugo throw his head up and look at her. "Eh?"

"You worked so hard to find me when I was kidnapped," Rin went on. "You fought against Academia. You're a hero."

"But I couldn't save you," a miserable Yugo replied.

"You still never gave up on me," Rin told him. "You crossed worlds and fought people just to help me. That means _so much_ to me."

Yugo's race reddened. He immediately pulled back his hands and put them behind his neck. He then casually leaned back in his chair and looked away.

"There you go, being a mom," he said. "You need to be cool and chill, like me."

Rin frowned. "That's not being a mom. That's being a decent human being."

Gongenzaka, however, egao'd. "Were you two always like this?"

" _Pssh_ , always," Yugo responded. "Even the first time we met, she's been pushy."

"I'm not pushy!" Rin insisted. "And even when we first met, Yugo was pigheaded."

"You're lucky I'm cool and chill, Rin," Yugo said casually. "Or else I would have said something bad."

"Like what, Yugo?"

"Nah."

"No, pray tell."

Yugo pulled a hand forward to scratch his chin. "Like, it's better to be pigheaded than pig-faced."

One of the boys beside Yugo pat out their drink.

"That's bad!" Sandra chuckled.

"Yeah, good thing I didn't say it," Yugo said.

"But you _did_ say it," Rin huffed.

"No I didn't. It doesn't count."

"I _heard_ you," Rin said. She turned to Gongenzaka and added, "See, he acts like I'm a naggy mom, but then he makes it so I have to be firm."

"She doesn't know how to take a good joke!" Yugo said. "She gets mad and acts like a nag because she doesn't like something."

"I have to be honest, this is uncomfortable," Gongenzaka told them. "I would rather not get involved in this."

"You get used to it after a while," Sandra said to him.

"I'm not going to encourage this childishness..." Gongenzaka sighed. "So, Yugo. Rin. You were telling me about how you two first met?"

Rin blinked. "Oh, yeah. It's kind of a funny story, really."

But before Rin could initiate a flashback sequence, duty called. A dark-skinned woman in a long, maroon dress, and an apron approached the table. Her very presence made Yugo egao. His eyes twinkled with joy, and his hands were now balled up into fists before him.

"Martha!" Yugo exclaimed.

"I'm glad to see you're here, Yugo!" the woman responded warmly. "I'm sorry to hear about the roof incident earlier."

"Don't mention it! ... Really, don't mention it."

"Martha was helping me set up my room at the time," Rin explained to her friends. "Too bad - it would have been great to see the rescue."

"How'd you get the bike down from the roof?" Sandra asked.

"We haven't figured that out yet," Yugo responded.

Rin looked to Martha. "Thank you again, by the way. And if there's anything I can do to help you back, let me know."

Martha nodded. "How kind of you to ask, Rin! As a matter of fact, I do have a small request."

"Oh really?"

"I'm really sorry to ask you this," Martha said slowly. "But can you watch the kids for a few hours tomorrow? I know you just got here, and I didn't want to put you in this position, but..."

"Martha, it's no problem!" Yugo said cheerfully. "We'll be glad to watch the kids."

"Actually, I was just asking Ri... Thank you, Yugo. That would be an amazing help."

Yugo looked to Rin. "Yes. You could say that it's very _responsible_ of me."

Rin grumbled, but then turned her attention back to Martha. "We don't mind at all."

But then she looked to Gongenzaka. "You don't have to help, if you don't feel like it. You can check out the city, and see what our city has to offer."

Gongenzaka shook his head. "No. I don't mind helping with the children. Count me in, as well."

Martha clasped her hands together. "Oh! You kids are angels. Thank you so much!"

"No problem!" Yugo declared. "We'll be the best babysitters ever!"

Spoiler: they weren't.

* * *

Reiji sat in his chair, back turned to Nakajima. He looked through his office windows, watching as the sun set over the city of Maiami.

It had been a long day in the office, in all honesty. Between studying the Link Dimension, discussing funds and operations, and his regular work as a CEO, the work had been piling up and up. But Reiji remained steadfast and strong throughout the whole ordeal.

Now, he was listening to the final notes of the day. His last projects to oversee before he could go home and return to his family.

"We've successfully reverse-engineered Miss Zaizen's Duel Disk," Nakajima explained to him. "We've been able to copy the field and see the rules and limitations it poses."

"Rules aren't enough," said Reiji. "I'll have to pay Miss Zaizen another visit later. We need to make sure that we understand all the intricacies of the Link Dimension's duels."

"Understood, sir," Nakajima answered. "Now, our next order of business is the merchandise."

Reiji slowly spun his chair around. He stopped when he was finally facing his employee. Now, Reiji's hands were folded neatly on his lap.

"We had some questions about the body pillows and dolls," Nakajima continued. "Why would we need different textures for the hair?"

"For accuracy," Reiji said neutrally. "For this product to sell, we need to make sure it's accurate and satisfying or our customers. That is how we will secure our future for the expedition."

"Understood, sir," Nakajima said again. "I'll reach the Lancers and study their hair texture."

"Acceptable," Reiji said. "Ruri's notes didn't cover everything, so we're missing quite a bit of information."

"But we did get the silk you asked for."

Reiji nodded. "Good. Then we can start working on the Yuya dolls' hair immediately."

Normally, an employee might find Reiji's behavior disconcerting. But Reiji's stone cold demeanor, coupled with his confident and clear way of speaking, merely affirmed Nakajima that he was working for the right man. Reiji was serious about his endeavor, and was doing the right thing for everyone.

"Understood, sir."

* * *

 _ **A/N: I'm still fiddling with the Yugo-Rin dynamic. I feel that Rin's motherly nature helps her be more mature and responsible, but Yugo still brings out that childish side of her. She thinks she's above all that, but she's not. And going forward, I hope I get to expand on their dynamics.**_

 _ **Next time: KOI KOI KOI KOI KOI! ENJOY!**_

 _ **ENJOOOOOOY!**_


	52. Highway 403: Twilight Overdrive

_**Fun Fact: Mieru is raised by a single mother, who is also psychic.**_

 _ **Description: The gang babysit some orphans.**_

* * *

Four girls stood together in a circle. Above them, a spotlight from an unknown source shone down upon them. Around them, just outside of the spotlight's range, was darkness. Lots and lots of darkness.

Rin had her hands on her hips, and a confident look on her face. She was prepared for what was to come, and she was going to make sure that the others were, too.

"It's 6:15, girls!" Rin declared. "You know what that means?"

"That we're up way too early and should go back to bed?" Ruri groaned.

"That I let us sleep in for an extra fifteen minutes. So you guys can't complain about not getting enough sleep."

The other three girls just looked at Rin with dazed expressions. They all had messy hair, hefty bags under their eyes, relaxed shoulders, and wrinkled clothes. They reeked like skunk apes, and the less said about their teeth, the better. Waking up this early meant that their minds were not fully awake yet, and the visual manifestations of their minds were not afraid to show it.

Compare to Rin, who had fresh clothes, combed hair, and and glowing skin. Though her body seemed just as relaxed as the others', the signs of fatigue were much less apparent on her.

"I know it's probably tough for you, waking up and taking care of about... _twenty one_ children?"

Ruri leaned to her side and rested her head on Serena's shoulder. Serena threw her head back and let out a long, annoyed moan. Yuzu wasn't even looking at Rin anymore, she was just staring at the soothing, quiet darkness behind her. She could just sneak away, plop herself in the shadows, and nap peacefully.

"We're not taking care of all the kids at once, though!" Rin explained hastily. "Yugo will take some, Gongenzaka will take some, and we'll take some! So we'll only have about seven kids to watch at any given time."

Her sisters groaned.

"But Martha will be here at five, so we only have about... uh... one, two, three..."

"Eleven hours," Ruri said. This was followed by a long, loud, long, long, loud, and long groan.

"But we can take turns!" Rin shouted over the groan. "We'll each get an hour with the kids, then switch off to another one of us!"

"Serena, this is your fault for staying up so late," Yuzu whined.

"I was reading something!" Serena said defensively.

Rin clapped her hands. "So Yuzu can go first, and then-"

"Yuri's writing?" Yuzu asked. "Why would you willingly read _Hitlerena and Yureva Braun?_ Or- or was it a story where he talks about... I don't know, _setting an old man on fire_ , or something?"

Rin punched the bridge of her nose. "Oh God, we don't have time for this crap."

"Well, I'm sorry you don't understand good writing!" Serena snapped. "Yuri is right; you're too small-minded to understand art."

"I see you guys are too exhausted to work, but not too exhausted to fight."

Ruri wrapped her arms around Serena, then let more of her body lean on her for support. She closed her eyes and tried to let herself fall back asleep.

"You're so in love with Yuri, you just believe what he tells you," said Yuzu. "No one would consider his work good, not even his mother and father."

"I do!" Serena hissed. "I see that passion in him, and he cares about making a statement. He's not like your boyfriend, who is all _hurr durr, egaos and entertainment, durrrr_."

Ruri stifled a snort.

Yuzu glared at Serena. "You didn't have a problem with Yuya when you were trying to make out with him a few months ago."

Ruri stifled another snort.

 _Okay, Rin. Time to nip this in the bud_.

"Hey, speaking of Yuya!" Rin said out loud. "Yugo said that Yuya would have the first shift. Who wants to partner up with him?"

Yuzu blinked and straightened out her back. Instantly, the effects of fatigue left her body, and she looked just as radiant as Rin.

"I got this, you guys!" Yuzu announced.

Yuzu then looked back to Serena. Now that she was fully awake and aware, the gravity of her earlier words started to set in. "Oh, Serena... I think we both went a little too far. I'm sorry about that."

 _"Saaaame,"_ Serena yawned. "Let me rest for an hour, and we'll be even."

* * *

Many children were in the back yard. They all crowded around Yuya and Yuzu, who had their Duel Disks out. The kids were hyped for what would be one of the most hyped-up, exciting Action Duels they had ever seen.

"Duelists locked in battle!" Yuya announced.

"Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!" Yuzu added.

"They storm through this field!"

"Behold! This is the latest and greatest evolution of Dueling!"

"Action... _**DUEL!**_ "

Action Cards rained down from the sky, and platforms now materialized in the air. The electric atmosphere drew in the crowds, while the burning passion emanating from the duelists made them stay. The children cheered and hollered for the greatest show on Earth!

Yuya egao'd. "You can go first, Yuzu."

Yuzu egao'd. "No, you go first. You're the best at warming up a crowd."

"No, _you're_ the best," Yuya told her. "You just have this natural charisma."

"But you're just so charming and likable!"

"Only because I learned from you."

"Oh, Yuya," Yuzu gasped. Her eyes were twinkling now. "My style is nothing compared to yours. You're amazing."

Of course, Yuya's eyes were also twinkling. "I don't think so. And you should go first, so your amazing skills can dazzle and inspire me."

"Yuya, you're embarrassing me~" Yuzu gasped, blushing. "See? I'm getting all red~"

"I'm sorry, Yuzu! I didn't mean to!"

"No, it's fine! You're just making me so happy and flustered~"

Yuya blushed, too. "I feel like that all the time when I'm around you. See, I told you that you always inspire me~"

"~~~~Yuya~~~~"

"~~~~Yuzu~~~~"

Meanwhile, Gongenzaka watched the show from the rec room window. He only had four children with them, as the rest of the kids went out to watch the duel. The remaining four kids stayed to play with En. That meant, for the next hour, he could take things easy and enjoy a less stressful oh wait that kids from outside were getting bored and coming back inside.

* * *

Next up: Serena. In all honesty, Serena wasn't crazy about kids. The idea of being responsible for another human's life was pretty stressful and unsettling. But for now, she only had to make through an hour of watching kids, and she'd be done.

Serena put her batch of kids in a position where they couldn't cause trouble, get too close, or do... whatever it is they do. She had them run around the perimeter of the back yard continuously.

Serena clapped for the children. "Keep it up! Running keeps you in shape, keeps you busy, keeps you healthy! I if you want to be strong, you need to work for it!"

And honestly, commanding these kids to exercise was a lot less stressful than regular old babysitting. Maybe one day she could be a gym teacher, or a drill instructor, or even a mother.

 _Scratch that last one_ , Serena thought. The last thing she wanted was to be a mother. _I'd make a terrible mother._

Two children broke from the circle of running. A young boy of about seven, and a girl about eleven, broke from formation. The two, exhausted and dripping with sweat, made their way towards Serena.

"What? What's going on?" Serena asked them.

"Can we stop?" the boy groaned.

"I'm so exhausted!" the girl wheezed.

Serena put her hands on her hips. She let out an annoyed, disgruntled sigh.

"Can we go inside?"

"You kids shouldn't be like this," Serena chided. "When I was in Academia, we had to do so much more than this. And I'm stronger for it."

"But Martha doesn't make us run like this!" the boy protested.

"And I'm not Martha."

 _"Please, please!"_ came Yuri's voice. _"Let's all calm down!"_

And now, coming on to the scene was Yuri. He had a devious egao on his face, and his hands behind his back. He stepped right into the conversation and took his place beside his beloved.

"I'll handle them, Serena," he told her.

Serena was normally the type to look a gift horse in the mouth. But right now, her mind was on watching over the other children. So she nodded, then walked towards the other kids.

Yuri looked over the two children. The children anxiously looked at him, waiting to hear if he was with them, or against them.

"Do we _have_ to run?" the boy asked him.

"Oh, goodness no!" Yuri said to him. "I'm with you guys - running and exercise isn't fun."

The boy let out a sigh of relief.

"What's going to happen to us?" the girl asked.

"How would you like to go watch a movie with me?" Yuri asked.

"What kind of movie?" one boy asked.

"Oh, you'll love it!" Yuri responded happily. "It's a foreign film, and it's really cool and exciting!"

Yuri then pulled one of his arms out from behind his back. He presented the children with a small, rectangular video box.

"It's called _Cannibal Holocaust_!" Yuri said with excitement. "I've watched it so many times, I lost count."

The kids immediately walked away and returned to Serena.

Yuri egao'd. _That was easier than expected. I'd make a great father._

* * *

Ruri didn't even do anything yet, and she was exhausted. Waking up early was already a big pain, but tack on everything Yuzu and Serena did that day, and Ruri was left with a body that was already showing fatigue.

She wasn't like Rin, who could bounce back through sheer willpower alone. She wasn't as interested in taking care of children, either; Ruri liked helping and entertaining children, but babysitting a whole swarm of them was something completely out of her wheelhouse. Or her _birdhouse_.

Ruri giggled at her little joke. Probably because the exhaustion was getting to her.

Before anything else, Ruri had decided to head into the kitchen and grab a modest glass of water. Something that wouldn't be too much to take from her hosts, but enough to keep her body moving. And of course, she'd be able to speak to Yuto, who was already in the kitchen.

She found Yuto in the middle of the kitchen, fixing the apron tied around him. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and he had the slightest hint of an egao on his face.

When he saw Ruri, he gave her a nod. "Ruri! It's great to see you."

"I never get tired of that adorable face," Ruri cooed. "I missed you today."

"I missed you, too," Yuto responded.

Yuto and Ruri stepped closer to one another. Once they were within a certain range of each other, they extended their hands out and shared a brief hug.

"Your hugs are better than a glass of water," Ruri said, blushing. "You know how to make me thirsty."

Yuto pulled himself back. "What was that?"

Ruri blinked. "I said that I was... thirsty and wanted a glass of water, but your hug perked me right up! Ha! Haha!"

"Thank you," Yuto said slowly. "I guess. I know your touch always makes me feel amazing."

Ruri nodded. "You're such a sweetheart, you know that?"

"No, you."

"You."

"You," Yuto said finally. "At any rate, I was hoping that you'd be able to do me a small favor."

" _Ooooh_?" Ruri mused. Was he going to ask her to have a quiet, intimate lunch with him? Was he going to ask her to cook something with him? Actually, no - go back to the first idea. She didn't feel like cooking.

"Please watch my group for me. I want to get started on their lunch now. I'm so tired."

Oh.

"Yuto, _please_!" Ruri groaned. "I already have a ton of kids."

" _Ruri_ , please," Yuto said sternly. "It's not safe to have a bunch of children in the kitchen. I can't put them at risk just because you don't feel like watching them."

"Fourteen kids, Yuto. I have to take care of _fourteen kids_."

"And I'm the one who can cook," Yuto stated flatly.

Ruri crinkled her nose. She wasn't as experienced as him, but she could make food, too. And while he was the best chef of the group, she could still... _Uuuuuuuuugh_ , she didn't even know. But she knew that she couldn't watch fourteen kids.

"Please, Ruri. For me?" Yuto pleaded. "You like chicken-and-rice stir-fry."

Ruri bit her lip. "That _does_ sound nice..."

"So you'll watch them, then?"

Before Ruri could even respond, Yuto's hands were around her waist. He brought her in fight and brought her face close to his. His eyes stared deeply into hers, and his mouth curled into a sly egao.

Ruri closed her eyes. Instinctively, she puckered her lips and moved in closer. She could her Yuto's heart beating in his chest, and feel her own heart skip a beat. Her body felt like it was on fire.

"Yuto..." Ruri whispered.

"Ruri," he responded. "Can you help me? I need you."

"I'll do anything you say, Yuto. I-"

Ruri felt a quick peck on her lips. When she opened her eyes, she could see Yuto already letting go of her.

"Thanks, Ruri!" Yuto said affectionately.

And then he turned himself around and started to walk into the other room.

"Now, you and the kids stay out of my kitchen," Yuto advised her. "I refuse to let anyone ruin this meal."

Ruri's jaw dropped to the floor, and her eyes practically fell out of her head. It felt like her own heart had lost its steam, and was now pouring out of her nose.

 _That's it?_ she asked herself. _Just a peck?_

She was so close. So close to getting the good stuff, she just knew it. What _kind_ of good stuff? Certainly more than a peck on the lips. She was hoping at least for a bit of tongue action. Or for him to, like... let her touch his butt for once.

Ruri slumped her shoulders and pressed her head against a wall. _Why? Why did I end up with the conservative one? Why are the cutest ones so pure and innocent?_

Ruri rubbed her forehead against the wall. _But that cuteness and innocence is what I love about him._

Ruri could hear the loud, unmistakable clanking of stone against wood. The clanking grew louder and louder, and Ruri knew that a familiar presence was approaching the scene of her failure.

"Now right now, Gon, I'm sorry!" Ruri whined. "I'm in the middle of one of my weekly breakdowns."

"So I see," Gongenzaka said slowly.

Ruri let out a sigh, straightened out her back, and turned to face her friend. Time to regain composure, (wo)man up, and egao until the blue balls lost their color.

"Sorry about that," Ruri said, blushing. "It's the, ah, stress of having to take care of all these kids."

"That's actually why I'm here," Gongenzaka said to her. "How about I take half of those kidss for you? Try and make things easier for you, and them?"

Ruri gasped. "Oh, thank you, Gon!"

Rin peeked her over Gongenzaka's large frame, taking a peak at the children in the other room. About nine of ten children were in the room, mostly watching T.V. or readings books. Two children were situated at a table under a window, apparently engaged in a duel.

"You can take this room," Ruri said to her friend.

Gongenzaka turned to look at the kids, and started to count the number of children. But it didn't take a genius to tell him that there were more than three or four kids there.

"Which ones do I take?" Gongenzaka asked.

"Good luck!" was Ruri's response.

And then Ruri turned herself around and jogged away from the scene.

Gongenzaka sighed. You know, he was a war veteran, not a babysitter. He saved lives, broke out of prison, escaped forced labor, and fought against Zarc. Remember that time he dueled against the Battle Beast and nearly got carded? Because he remembered. He deserved better than this.

No sense complaining about it, though. He had work to do, kids to watch. With a stiff upper lip, he entered the living room and joined the children.

"Do any of you need anything?" he asked them.

Most of the children acknowledged his presence, mostly by shaking their heads politely and going back to whatever they had been doing. The two dueling children remained completely engrossed in their game.

Hmph. "If you kids need anything, I'll be in the other room, helping the other kids with their dueling..."

No reaction.

"Does anyone want to learn about dueling?"

Again, no reaction. Aside from one boy, who simply lifted up a remote, pointing it at the television screen, and increased the volume by a couple of notches.

 _Hmph._

Gongenzaka stepped further into room. Passing by the kids on the floor, avoiding the legs of the kids on the couch, and sidestepping a toddler that had fallen asleep on a beanbag chair, until he was on the other end of the room, right in front of the dueling table.

The two children didn't look at him; they were too engrossed in the game. To Gongenzaka's left side, a young red-faced boy of about seven had a hand full of cards. He looked like he was about to burst into tears, or was about to scream. In contrast, the older boy to Gongenzaka's right had two cards in his hand, and had a confident smirk on his face.

Looking at the field, he could see why: the smirking boy had two face-down Spell/Trap cards, and Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth and UFO Turtle in his Monster Zones. The other boy had Tune Warrior Defense position, and Dark Blade in Attack position.

"You're cheating!" said the younger boy. "You can't just summon a monster on my turn!"

"Read UFO Turtle's effect," the older boy answered. "When it's destroyed, I can Special Summon a FIRE monster with 1500 or less ATK."

The younger boy's face grew more red. "O-okay. Fine... But it doesn't sound fair."

"Do you have any other cards you can use?"

"No..."

The younger boy sighed. "I end my turn. But remember, you can only draw one card!"

"Right, right," the older boy chuckled.

"Do you usually draw more than one card?" Gongenzaka asked.

The older boy looked at Gongenzaka as he drew a card from his deck. "No. But since Taka's still learning, we let him draw two cards. Makes it so he bricks less."

Now, the older boy looked at the card he drew. "I play Junk Synchron in Attack! And when it's summoned, I can bring back a Level 2 or lower monster from my Graveyard!"

The boy placed Junk Synchron onto his field, then moved his hand over to a sloppy pile of cards in front of his deck. After rifling through the pile, he pulled up a Quillbolt Hedgehog card, then placed it beside Junk Synchron, in Defense position.

"I Synchro Summon Junk Warrior!"

The boy slid the two monsters to his Graveyard, then pulled a card out from his Extra Deck, which now had one card left. He summoned Junk Warrior in Attack position, right next to his Gaia.

"You really need to use Spell and Trap cards," the older boy explained.

Taka frowned. "I don't like them, Bobby. I like monsters; they're cool."

"I'll show you cool," Bobby said. "I activate the Spell, Synchro Blast Wave from my hand!"

Gongenzaka remained still, stiff. He simply stood with his arms crossed, watching the duel.

"If I control a Synchro monster, I can destroy a monster you control."

Bobby reached across the table and picked up Dark Blade. he carefully picked the card up, then dropped it into Taka's neatly-organized Graveyard.

"UFO Turtle destroys Tune Warrior, and my Synchro monsters attack-"

"No!" Taka pleaded.

"For-"

"But I worked so hard this time!"

"Game."

Bobby imitated the sound of an explosion. And a frustrated Taka quickly pulled every one of his cards from the field and started to shuffle them back into his deck.

"No fair!" Taka hissed. "You shouldn't use Spell cards when I'm not! It's like... it's cheating!"

Bobby frowned. "Taka, broski. It's no big deal. It's-"

"Let me summon two monsters a turn!" Taka insisted. "Then I can Synchro Summon and kick your butt!"

Now, Gongenzaka was going to step in. "Taka, stop it."

Taka turned to Gongenzaka. He slammed his deck onto the table and puffed up his cheaks. By now, his eyes were starting to well up with tears.

"You, shut up!" he growled. "I'm trying really hard, and I still can't win!"

"Then fix up your deck!" Bobby groaned.

"SHUT YOUR FACE, BOBBY!"

"TAKA, STOP IT!" Gongenzaka roared.

The room nearly went silent. Gongenzaka could see Bobby and Taka stare at him, but he could also feel the stares of the children behind him. Taka now had tears running down his face, and Bobby looked uncomfortable.

Gongenzaka spoke softly this time, "I guess that was uncalled for, and I apologize."

Taka sniffled. "W-well, yeah. That was really mean."

"But you were also disrespectful to your opponent," the man went on.

"Nuh-uh. Bobby's an ass-face."

"Bobby was very lenient, and he's been trying to help you improve. Does that sound like a... an ass-face to you?"

Now, Taka's face started to turn into its normal color, though tears were still rolling down his face, and his nose was dripping. He turned to his friend and said, "No... Sorry, Bobby."

"He's not wrong. Spells and Traps can help your deck a lot. Having one type of card in your deck opens you up to a lot of weaknesses."

Taka scowled. "I guess..."

Gongenzaka met that face with a gentle egao. He went on to say, "But you can still make a good deck with just monsters."

Bobby looked lost. He tilted his head and skeptically asked, "Really? I don't think that's true."

"Come with me, to see the other kids," Gongenzaka told them. "I'll tell you all about the Steadfast Dueling strategy."

* * *

 _"KOI KOI KOI KOI KOI!"_

That was the sound that echoed through the entire building. Walking through the front doors was a duelist that everyone ENJOYed: CHOJIRO TOKUMATSU!

 _KOI KOI_

 _KOI KOI_

 _KOI KOI KOI KOI KOI_

 _ENJOY!_

 _ENJOOOOOOOOOOY!_

But yes, ENJOY Chojiro himself walked through the doors. And held in his right hand was a plastic bag, which was already heavy with its contents.

Rin had been passing by at the time, along with Yugo. Rin was carrying a basket full of unwashed laundry, while Yugo carried his bike helmet. They immediately dropped their possessions and ran up to the man.

"What the hell!" Rin yelled. "Get out of here!"

Rin jumped forward. And before Chojiro could register what was transpiring, he found himself being sent to the ground by a flying kick to the face.

Chojiro tumbled down, and his bag fell with him. Cards of all kinds poured from the bag and onto the floor, decorating the scene of the crime.

Rin rose up from Chojiro's body. She pulled her foot off of the man's face, then took a step back.

Yugo just looked at her, jaw dropped. "The heck?!"

"Right?" Rin scoffed. "Like, who does this guy think he is, breaking into an orphanage? A creeper, that's what he is!"

"That creeper's Chojiro Tokumatsu!"

"I'm not a creeper!" the man wheezed.

Rin blinked. "Choji- _who_?"

Yugo balled up his fists and held them up. "He's a really cool duelist! Don't you remember hearing about him when we were kids? O-or, maybe Yuzu told you about her meeting him in the Friendship Cup!"

Rin looked to Chojiro. The man slowly rose up to a sitting position, though the top half of his body slumped over his lower half. Trickles of blood were dripping down from his nose, onto his robe.

"I'm afraid I don't know," Rin admitted. "But I-"

"KOI KOI!" Yugo chanted.

"KOI KOI!" Chojiro chanted back.

The two men excitedly jumped into the air and threw their fists into the sky. "KOI KOI KOI KOI KOOOOOOI!"

"ENJOY!" Yugo screamed.

"ENJOY!" Chojiro cheered.

And together, they said, "ENJOOOOOOOOY!"

The cheers, they were bringing something back to Rin. Memories of... riding a bike, and a stadium full of people. In her head, she could picture Melodious monsters before her. And when she turned to look behind her, she could see Chojiro on a D-Wheel of his own, screaming and apologizing.

Rin let out a sigh. _So we do know him, then._

"Sorry for that, Mr. Tokumatsu," Rin said. "But why would you just walk in like some sort of idiot."

"Yuzu, you wound me!" Chojiro huffed. "Literally. But as a matter of fact, I come by every week to visit the kids."

"That's not Yuzu," Yugo informed him. "It's Rin. Rin. Don't forget that, because they all get really mad when you do."

"Yeah, I'm Rin," Rin explained. "Long story - I, and three other girls merged with Yuzu and now share her body. It's this whole thing, and..."

Chojiro just stared at her, looking very lost and confused.

"Yeah, so that's a thing that happened, no big deal. Tell us about yourself. What have you been up to?"

"You said you visit the kids?" Yugo said. "That's so cool! You're famous, but you still stand up and help the little guys!"

Chojiro scratched the back of his neck, and a large egao grew on his face. "It's no big deal, honestly! After I got out of prison, I wanted to give back to the people, and try to inspire people... like how you inspired me."

"Really? I did?" Yugo asked, absolutely elated. "O-oh wait. You mean Yuya."

"I bet you two heard about the situation and came to help," Chojiro went on. "You two youths are truly shining examples for this world!"

"That's really nice, thanks! But I'm Yugo, not Yuya."

"You're a fusion?"

"No, I'm Yugo."

"Isn't that what I said?"

"I'm not Fusion!" Yugo grumbled. "I'm Yugo!"

Rin raised a hand to silence the duo.

"Yugo, shut up for a second," she said. "Mr. Tokumatsu, what did you mean earlier, about the situation here?"

"You don't know?" Chojiro asked. "These past few months, they've had to let go many of the attendants here. Now, it's mostly Martha and some volunteers."

Yugo frowned. "But why?"

"That would explain why Martha was short-staffed," Rin said quietly.

Chojiro nodded. "Me and a few others have been donating money, but we can't just fix the problems so easily. The orphanage has been struggling to get by."

Yugo put a hand to his chin. "But what caused this?"

Chojiro shook his head. "I'd rather not talk about Martha's private business. If you want to know, you must ask her."

"I wish we knew that earlier," Yugo sighed. "Yuto just used so much food and ingredients to make lunch."

"How much did he use?" Chojiro asked, frowning.

"All the chicken breasts, all the rice, most of the cooking oil, some garlic, maybe three, four onions? And some peppers, I think."

Yugo scratched his chin. "Oh, and some soy sauce, and broccoli, and carrots. And water."

"A-all of that?!"

"And bell peppers."

"Are you kidding?!" Chojiro yelled. "That sounds a week's worth of food right there! Food money doesn't grow on trees, you know!"

"Oh, that reminds me!" Yugo said. "I better call Yuto and head back to the stove. The food should be ready soon!"

And with that, Yuto turned on his heel and took a few steps away from the scene.

"You can still yell at Rin, though! She's a very good listener."

Chojiro just watched Yugo as he waltzed right out of sight, whistling as he went. And once Yugo was no longer there, he turned to Rin and looked at her incredulously. For a long time. Long enough for Rin to notice the nervous twitch in his left eye.

Rin just shrugged awkwardly. "I'm... I had no part in this. I'm actually the responsible one."

Chojiro sighed. "I'll go and do a grocery run, then. I'll be back soon."

But it was Rin's turn to sigh next. "No, Mr. Tokumatsu. You stay here, relax, and enjoy lunch."

"You sure?"

"Yes. You've done enough here."

Rin tapped her shorts pocket. She could feel her wallet by her leg, but she could hear it crying in her ear.

"I'll just be super quick," she told him. "Just a quick run to the marketplace, get some food, and come right back. It'll be easy!"

It wouldn't be easy.

* * *

Martha grew up in the poorer parts of the city. She never would have dreamed that she would regularly pay visits to the Tops' best and brightest locales.

Unfortunately, the circumstances weren't as positive.

Martha had been spending the day making cakes, making cookies, making all these backed goods in the back of her boss's bakery. Which she did twice weekly, for nearly twelve hours. In a poorly-ventilated, boiling kitchen, sometimes assisted by an employee who regularly confused baking soda with baking powder.

Martha had just pulled out a tray of chocolate chip cookies when her boss opened the back door and sauntered into the kitchen.

He was a small, chubby man with thick lips, a small mustache, and a head full of greasy black hair. He wore a greenish-yellow suit with a pink tie. His fingers were each decorated with a ring, which each had a large, unique gem.

The man held a cigar between his right fingers. A small cloud of smoke rose up from his cigar, and the sickening smell of tobacco started to override the pleasant smell of the kitchen's food.

"Hello, Martha!" the man said happily. "I trust that you're having a good day?"

"Tiring, but good," Martha told him.

"I hope you're not too tired to work an extra hour today. We just got an event request, and I told them that you'd be able to make eight different cakes for their event"

Martha nearly let out a gasp. But she tried to contain her very obvious displeasure by shaking her head. "I'm not sure I can, sir. And I need to get back to the kids."

The man raised a hand up. "You'll be payed, of course. Fifty cents extra, on top of your usual wage."

Martha's heart dropped. That wasn't much money. And she wasn't going to see any of that money, because it was going straight back into her boss's pocket. She owed him too much to claim even a cent of that money.

But she needed to reduce the debt as much as she could. And it's not like she could tun him down, or leave the job. Again, she owed him too much.

With a fake egao on her face, she said, "Thank you, Mr. Garome."

The man smirked. "Thank you, Martha. You're such a good worker, you know that?"

Martha kept up the egao until Garome left the kitchen. And once he was out of sight, she immediately buried her face in her flour-soaked hands.

How did she let things get this bad? Why did she come to Garome for money? She was drowning in debt, and she knew that she wouldn't live long enough to pay it off.

She let out a sigh, then pulled her hands away from her face. She couldn't afford to complain; she had work to do.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Gongenzaka ended up spending his time in the Synchro arc helping Taka to improve his deck, using his own cards, Chojiro's gifts, or cards they could find in the orphanage. I know that it's not important, and Taka never appears outside of this chapter, but I documented the deck-building process on Twitter.**_

 _ **Next time: Rin gets involved in a Neo Riding Duel.**_


	53. Highway 404: Rin Gets a Spin

_**A/N: All your suggestions for Normal Monsters were terrible, and you should all feel bad. I hope you feel bad.**_

 _ **Nah, they were good. Two people suggested Red-Eyes, and it was the perfect level to get things rolling. So now, Red-Eyes B. Dragon gets time to shine in this chapter.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: Rin believes she's a good writer. She isn't.**_

 _ **Description: Rin rides again.**_

* * *

Back in the Xyz Dimension, Shun was at his parents' house. He and his family sat at a kitchen table, enjoying a simple, peaceful meal of rations together. Mr. Kurosaki read his newspaper to his family, while Mrs. Kurosaki and their son ate their food.

But then, Shun felt a shiver. Instantly, he knew that he was _betrayed_. He didn't know how he knew, he didn't know what exactly happened. All he knew was what his senses told him: his best friend had kissed his sister(s.) He just _knew_ it.

"Argh... _Yuto..!_ "

Enraged, Shun's first instinct was to throw his plate off the table. The plate smacked into a wall and shattered, while the food dripped down to the floor.

* * *

Rin rode her D-Wheel through Street Pass. A low highway used almost exclusively by the Commons, it was nowhere near as clean or smooth as the roads that towered above. It served as a quick gateway to the rich parts of the city, and could branch off to some of the elevated highways, or to other roads of the city. For the Commons, it had been the heart of the city, where they could ride anywhere... So long as they could avoid Security.

Today, it was surprisingly not too busy. As Rin went down the road, she was free to admire the sights and sounds of the city: buildings, a tree... a grocery store that would be coming up in about five minutes... the elevated roads, the skeleton of an dead ape-like... _thing_ on the other side of the road, which had been there for _years_...

Okay, so this part of the city didn't have the most exciting sights to see. But beneath its exterior, it had heart. The heart of a great, supportive community, where everyone stuck together and worked to help their own kind, even in the face of the oppressive Tops and Security. And that heart what Rin really cared about.

With the ride being smooth, the roads mostly clear, and the destination was in sight, Rin had time to relax and think about life. And immediately, she was reminded that she had to spend all her money on groceries because Yuto wanted to be fancy.

"R.I.P., dreams of buying Dad a birthday present," Rin sighed.

 _But hey, he'd probably say that I'm doing the right thing,_ came Yuzu's voice. _He'd be really proud of us for this._

"I suppose you're right," Rin replied. "Still, it feels like we're being punished for something we didn't even do."

 _Think of it as us helping the kids. They were able to have a good meal becasue of Yuto, and you're keeping them from hurting for it._

 _And Yuto's food is delicious,_ Ruri added. _So we have that waiting for us._

Rin's stomach grumbled. Now, she was fully aware that she and her sisters hadn't eaten at all today. They'd been neglecting their own needs to take care of those kids. _And those kid better be freaking grateful for it._

Rin's thoughts were broken by the sound of someone shouting. Coming up on her road's shoulder, she could see a group of people. A small group, crowded all around something.

Curious, Rin started to slow down. As she came up to the scene, she tilted her head to watch and see the display.

The people were crowding around a man who was sitting on a motorcycle. His black helmet was tucked under his left arm, while his right arm leaned on the bike's dash. He was shouting to the choir, speaking quickly and excitedly.

"So yeah!" the man concluded. "No one can beat me, because I'm super amazing and strong."

"You talk big," another, more muscular man said. "But can you back it up?"

"Duh, 'course!" the first man answered. "But I don't like to waste my time on scrubs."

"You calling me a scrub?"

"Sounds like he's trying to back out!" a woman replied.

"Maybe he's afraid to duel," a teen girl added.

Fernando shook his head. "I only duel for money. Like, betting money. Any takers?"

The people started to speak amongst themselves. By now, Rin had slowed to a crawl so she could try and listen to the crowd and the man.

"Put up at least a hundo, and I'll duel," the D-Wheeler told them. "If you win, I'll _double_ your money back. That's two hundred bucks you get back, _minimum_."

By now, Rin had stopped. The man had her attention now. And judging by what some of the other people were saying, they also had their interests piqued.

 _Oh, this is pretty good for us,_ Serena said.

"What do you mean?" Rin asked.

 _We fight him, win, get double our money back._

"Riding duel only, no Action Cards, solo only," the duelist explained. "Any takers?"

 _Are you crazy?!_ Yuzu cried. _What if we lose?_

 _Pssh!_ Serena pssh'd. _Come on, we beat Zarc. I think we can handle some punk on the side of the road._

 _Oh, and what if he cheats? What if this is some sort of trap?_

 _We can handle it!_

"Serena raises a good point," Rin said.

 _What?_ Yuzu gasped. _You can't be serious._

"We could use the cash," Rin said. "And like, there are four of us, and one of him."

 _We can't all fight him at once._

"No, but we're strong together... Not that I'd need any help to beat someone in a Riding Duel, of course. But-"

"You there, the girl who's talking to herself!" the man called out.

Rin blinked. "Huh? What?"

"You have a D-Wheel, I see!" the man said excitedly. "Maybe you'd like to make a bet?"

 _Let's think about this,_ Ruri advised.

 _Do it!_ Serena told her.

"Well?" the man asked.

 _Don't be so headstrong, Serena!_ Yuzu said harshly. _You should know better._

 _I kicked the Doktor's ass, okay?_ Serena barked back.

"Well, kid?"

 _I know we can do anything now._

"O-okay!" Rin exclaimed.

The man nodded. He stepped from his bike and pushed his way through the crowd.

He was an tall man, seemingly in his twenties. He wore pale blue jeans, and a black leather jacket, which was completely zipped up. His jacket and pants both featured gold band-like designs around, both on his forearms and on his thighs. His skin was sun-kissed, and his eyes were a deep red. The roots of his flowing, shoulder-length hair were white, but they faded into his black hair almost seamlessly. And a circular gold medallion hung from his neck.

This man was a man of mystery, and had his own complex, adventurous tale to him. He had a past, but the future he would have was vastly more entertaining. But Rin would only go on to learn only the barest of details about this man's life.

"You got cash?" the man asked.

"I got a cool hundo and a half," Rin said confidently. "You got double that?"

"I might, I might. Already won a few duels today, so I got some cash burning a hole in my wallet."

Rin egao'd. "I'll be glad to take it off your hands, then."

* * *

They had driven up the road and reached one of the elevated highways. Now, the two D-Wheeling duelists were side by side, facing down the long stretch of road before them. The highway was empty, giving both duelists the perfect opportunity to go all-out, without worrying about the safety of other riders and drivers.

"Ready when you are!" the man told her. His voice was broadcasted through her helmet. This was par for the course in Riding Duels, where the wind and distance would make it too difficult for people to speak to each other.

Rin looked over the edge of the highway. They were still in the Commons area of the city, and quite a distance above the grocery store, a marketplace, and several homes. Sure, it wasn't much to look at, but it had its own sense of humble charm to it-

"Hello?" the man called out.

"Oh, right!" Rin answered. "Yeah, I'm ready for this!"

 _"RIDING DUEL, ENGAGED,"_ Rin's bike spoke. _"AUTO-PILOT, STANDBY."_

"Ready to go?"

"Ready!"

The two revved up their engines and started riding. They soared down the highway, and only went faster from there. With the man in the lead and Rin trailing behind him, the two were all set to deck.

 _ **"DUEL!"**_

* * *

The two zoomed through the road at an amazing pace. Rin could feel the winds flow against her body. It was powerful, cold, and a reminder of how dangerously fast they'd be going. It helped to wake her up and pump up her adrenaline. It made her feel more alive than she'd felt in months.

"Since I'm ahead, I'll go first!" the man called out. "I'll show you why people call me the master of Neo Riding Duels!"

"Neo Riding Duels?" Rin asked.

"Well, yeah," Mr. Cool Dude replied. "Everyone's doing them now. Or are you a Neo Speedwunner?"

Rink tilted her head. "What is...?"

"Riding Duel puritists who cling to Neo Speed World, because they're stuck in the past and dumb and stupid."

"... Alrighty."

Rin looked down at her screen, which displayed the field, her hand, the amount of cards in her opponent's hand, and two bars on the side of the screen. One bar had her name written under it, while the other one said "Fernando." Both bars were divided into twelve little sections, and the bottom section of each bar had lit up.

 **Fernando: 1 Speed Counter**

 **Rin: 1 Speed Counter**

"What are those little lights on the side of my screen?"

Fernando scoffed, clearly annoyed with the question. "Don't you know anything? Those are your Speed Counters."

"Right, right. And what are those?" Rin asked.

Fernando rolled his eyes. "It's what _makes_ Neo Riding Duels. Each turn, we both get a Speed Counter. We can use them to get little bonuses."

Rin tapped the counter on her screen. A small pop-up displayed at the center of the screen, giving her a list of what they had to offer:

 _4 Speed Counters: Inflict 800 damage to your opponent._

 _7 Speed Counters: : Draw 1 card._

 _10 Speed Counters: Destroy 1 card on the field._

 _12: Special Summon one monster from your Extra Deck, ignoring its summon conditions._

Unfortunately for Rin, all those options were grayed out. If she wanted to use those bonuses, she had to get more counters.

Rin looked up to her opponent. "Okay, I think I've got this."

Though Rin couldn't see it, the man nodded. "So now, I'll rock things out. I activate the Spell, Ancient Rules!"

The back of a card was projected behind Fernando. Rin couldn't see the artwork from that angle, but she was able to see it on her screen.

"I can Special Summon a Level 5 or higher Normal Monster from my hand!" Fernando declared. "I summon Red-Eyes B. Dragon!"

Long, dark claws appeared from the front of the card. It grabbed the card's borders, then used it to help drag itself out of the card. The creature exposed more and more of itself, revealing itself to be a red-eyed, black dragon. **(ATK 2400)**

The dragon flew above Fernando, casting a dark shadow over him. Its slow, heavy wingbeats could be heard even above the sound of the rushing winds.

"Next, I summon Level Eater!"

Now, a puppy-sized ladybug materialized to the right of Fernando. It spread its wings and flew, matching its summoner's speed. **(ATK 600)**

"When I control a Normal monster, I can special summon the Level 1 Tuner, Tuning Heart from my hand!"

Now, to Fernando's left, a small, female humanoid made its debut. It wore a thin pink dress and had flowing, lime-green hair. Dark green feelers sprung from its head. While Rin couldn't see the creature's face upfront, the card on her screen told her that it had dark green eyes, a perky nose, and no mouth to speak of. **(ATK 400)**

 _But if it had no mouth, how would it scream?_ Rin had to chuckle at her admittedly intelligent, esoteric reference. Even though she never actually _read_ the short story she was referencing, she still felt pretty smart for her thoughts.

"I tune my Level 7 Red-Eyes, and my Level 1 Level Eater with my Level 1 Tuning Heart!"

The three monsters flew forward, far ahead of Fernando. Tuning Heart became a green ring, and the other two monsters became the eight Level stars that ran through it.

"Dragon of the frozen world," chanted Fernando. "Burst through the ice, and reign destruction down on our enemies! Synchro Summon!"

The ring and the stars melded together, forming a ball of light. The light spread itself forward, in three different directions. They became the heads. The light spread further back, forming the wings, and the feet, and finally the tail.

"Level 9, Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier!"

Once the dragon was fully-formed, the light faded. The dragon turned itself around to face both duelists, letting out a mighty roar of triumph. **(ATK 2700)**

Rin was in awe. She didn't care to admit it, but it took quite a bit effort to bring out a Level 9 or higher Synchro monster. Let alone a Synchro monster so famous as this one. Yet on the first turn, she was facing one of the three Dragons of the Ice Barrier.

That card must have cost him a pretty penny.

"Not done yet!" Fernando shouted. "When this card is Synchro Summoned, I can banish up to 1 card each from your hand, field, and Graveyard."

Rin looked at the screen. The card third from her left was highlighted blue, encouraging her to pick up the card and place it in the Banished Zone. Though reluctant, Rin had no choice but to comply.

"You don't have any cards on your field or Grave, but that's fine," Fernando said confidently. "I hit you hard already. I'll set one card face-down, and end my turn."

A face-down card briefly appeared behind Fernando's bike, before quickly fading away. And with that, Fernando ended his turn with an empty hand, full Life Points, a monster on the field, and one face-down Spell or Trap.

* * *

 **Fernando: 2 Speed Counters**

 **Rin: 2 Speed Counters**

Alright, Rin's turn to tumble. She drew her next card, giving her five cards to work with. And with just a cursory look at her cards, she was starting to form some basic combos that would help lead her to victory.

Rin presented two cards two her opponent. "With my Scale 2 Windwitch - North Wind, and Scale 5 Windwtich - South Wind, I set the Pendulum Scales!"

Pillars of blue light rose from either side of Rin. To her right, a masked girl in a blue tuxedo was riding a broom, while a number 5 trailed after her. And to Rin's left, a grinning, masked girl in a pink dress rode sat sideways on a broom, while a number 2 appeared beneath her.

"North Wind's effect!" Rin announced. "Once per turn, when I place a Windwitch monster in my other Pendulum Scale, I can take a Pendulum Tuner monster from my Deck, then place it face-up in my Extra Deck."

Rin's deck was shuffled. It spat out a card from its center. Rin grabbed the card, flipped it over, and placed it on top of her Extra Deck.

"Now, South Wind's effect!" Rin announced. "Once per turn, when I place a Windwitch monster in my other Pendulum Scale, I can add one Windwitch monster from my Deck to my hand, but I can't Special Summon any monsters from my Extra Deck this turn, except or WIND monsters."

Rin drew a cases, then presented it to her opponent: Windwitch - Ice Bell. And with that, she now had four cards in her hand.

Rin closed her eyes. _This is it now. I've done all the prep work; now, I need to put it all into motion. Good luck, Rin._

Rin held up Spell Card. She placed the card on her field, and a large version of it materialzed before her. The artwork depicted Windwitch - Ice Bell, who egao'd as she flew above a cat with a bell on its tail.

"I play Witch's Familiar! I can add a Level 1 Pendulum Monster from my Deck or Extra Deck to my hand, then gain Life Points equal to its ATK."

Rin lifted up the card: Windwitch's Familiar - Snowball. It was the white cat depicted on the Spell card. **(Rin: 4000 → 4400)**

Rin revved up her speed. Now, she was starting to close the gap between her and Fernando. She wanted to get a better look at her opponent... And also, she just liked being ahead.

Fernando kept his eyes on the road. But Rin could hear his confident voice speak through the speaker in her helmet. "So you're a Synchro user, huh? Interesting."

"Of course I am, genius," Rin scoffed. "What else would I be?"

"We've been getting a lot of tourists here. Mostly Fusion and Xyz users. They don't stand up too well against my deck, though."

Rin was about to make a smart remark, like _Your deck? The one with Normal monsters?_

But, being a Common herself, she knew that such thoughts were beneath her. Or rather, _above_ her; such dismissive attitudes toward cards was the thought process of the Tops. The same people she grew up resenting. People who had it all, and looked down at her for having nothing.

Rin had to bite her tongue here. She caught herself underestimating her opponent and thinking like a Top. She needed to check her card privilege. _Come on, Rin. Be classy._

"Since you're probably going for a big move..." Fernando interjected. "I'll activate my Trap: Dangerous Drawing!"

As Rin passed by Fernando, she could see the face-down appear behind him. It flipped over and revealed itself: its art depicted a Duel Disk amongst a sea of smoke and flame. From the top right of the card's artwork, a hand was reaching down to try and pick up the cards that spilled from the Duel Disk's Deck slot.

"When I take 2000 or more battle damage this turn, I can draw two cards."

"But what if I don't inflict that much damage?" she asked him.

"Then nothing happens. But I can tell by the way you play, it's gonna happen. You thought this through."

Rin smirked. "So you're pretty clever, then. Because I like to get rough."

Rin turned her head to the road before her. She squeezed her bike's handles and pushed on forward.

"When I control no monsters, I can summon Windwitch - Ice Bell from my hand."

Rin placed a card on her field. Windwitch - Ice Bell materialized to her right. The speed of her broom matched the speed of Rin's D-Wheel's. **(ATK 1000)**

The playful witch looked back to her opponent, then moved her gave to the speeding road before her. With a wave of her want, a thick blue mist enveloped Rin's side of the field.

Fernando raised an eyebrow at this. As the mist rolled in, it became harder and harder to see Rin, or even beyond her. He slowed down his bike just a smidge, lest he get too close in that mist, and all the dangers it'd give him.

"... Then, I can Special Summon a Windwitch monster from my deck, but it can't be Tributed, and I can only Special Summon Level 5 or higher WIND Monsters from my Extra Deck."

At last, the mist started to dissipate. Fernando could make out the shape of Rin and, when more of the mist rolled out of sight, the two monsters beside her. In addition to Ice Bell, Windwitch - Glass Bell was flanking Rin's other side. **(ATK 1500)**

"When Glass Bell is Normal or Special Summoned, I can add a Windwitch monster ftom my Deck to my hand," Rin went on. "I can't Special Summon anything but WIND monsters this turn."

Rin's deck spat forth a card: Wintwitch - Snow Bell. She pulled the card out and placed it in her hand. Or rather, the little card... holder thing D-Wheels had. For for the sake of simplicity, let's call it her hand, even though it's not her physical, human hand.

"Hey, that's whack!" Fernando barked, causing Rin to reach up and cover her ear.

"What's the matter, Nandy?" Rin chuckled. "Think I can't deal with the costs?"

"That's the problem; I'm worried that you _can_."

Rin egao'd. Boy, this guy provided some great banter.

"When Ice Bell is summoned, I can inflict 500 damage to my opponent!"

With another wave of her want, Ice Ball sent a blustering, ice-cold wind down the lane.. Fernando gritted his teeth and squeezes his handlebars, trying to grit through the cold.

He closed his eyes for a second. Somehow, he had hoped that the cold would stop its sting. But no, he simply had to bear it until the effect stopped on its own. **(Fernando: 4000 → 3500)**

"You're a cold chick, kid," he muttered.

"When I control two or more WIND monsters, I can special summon Windwitch - Snow Bell from my hand!"

The third monster Rin played now took to the field. Materializing behind her was a large, glass ball. Its body was primarily white, with gold trimming and blue gems. It featured a golden, crown-like object on top, which had its own crown-wearing gem. Angelic wings spung from the crown-like object, allowing the monster to fly alongside the witches. **(ATK 100)**

"Feel free to give up now," Rin said to her opponent. "I'm just getting started. And believe me, I don't like to go easy on my opponents."

Fernando didn't reply at first. He let a small silence grow between them. As the two took a left turn onto another road, nothing but the rushing wind could be heard.

But finally, Fernando let out a chuckle. "Let me tell you something, girlie. I never give up."

"Fine by me!" Rin replied. "I get the money either way."

"We'll see."

Rin looked back at her monsters. All three of them gave affirming nods to show their support. Seemed as though they knew of Rin's plans and approved. They were in this together.

Rin looked straight ahead and, in a commanding voice, said, "I tune my Level three Windwitch - Ice Bell with my Level 4 Windwitch - Glass Bell!"

The two witches flew forward. Glass Bell became the four green rings, and Ice Bell became the four Level stars. Together, they combined and created a light that shone before the duelists.

"Midwinter wind. Make ice and snow my power and blow through!" Rin chanted. "Synchro Summon! Level 7, Windwitch - Winter Bell!"

The light spread its wings and became a flying... airplane lady with boobs. **(ATK 2400)**

The two duelists sped down the road, their monsters in tow. Rin watched the numerous streets and buildings far below her. The houses were shoddy, had chipped paint, and didn't tower over everything. Looked like they were still in the slums of the city.

It seemed as though not much had changed, despite the efforts of Yuya and the Lancers. The city was no longer divided and hate-filled, but the differences in class still existed.

She _did_ notice one thing, though: construction. An area that was once a landfill was now cleared out, replaced with construction equipment. People, who looked like ants from her viewpoint, where moving around the lot.

She egao'd. She didn't know what it was, exactly. But it was change, in a positive direction. It was hope for something better for her people. Maybe it was a school? Maybe it was a shopping mall? Maybe it was just a proper dump? Whatever the case, it was a sign that things were starting to change.

Rin looked back to her opponent. _Right, the duel. The city can keep on fighting and growing. And so will I._

"Winter Bell's effect!" Rin announced. "I can target a Windwitch monster in my Graveyard, then inflict damage to you equal to that target's Level, multiplied by 200."

Winter Bell turned around to face Fernando. Once again, a cold, blustering wind struck the man. He started to swerve to his right, hoping to dodge. But the cold still flowed through his entire body.

"And I target my Level 4 Glass Bell!"

His wheels started to waver, and his D-Wheel leaned to the right. Fernando quickly realized that he wasn't focusing on the road, so he squeezed his handles and adjusted his balance. **(Fernando 3500 → 2700)**

"Hey, mind cutting that out?" he snapped. "Nearly crashed my bike there!"

"Try and keep up with me," Rin told him. "I tune my Level 7 Windwitch - Winter Bell with my Level 1 Windwitch - Snow Bell!"

Snow Bell flew forward and expanded into a green ring. Winter Bell flew through the rings and let its body divide itself into seven starts. Everything came together to give birth to a new creation.

"A cold winter's bite freezes the world solid. Spread your wings and bring a season unending! Synchro Summon!"

The light exploded outwards, in a bright flash. And once the light faded, everyone could see the creature that flew above and ahead of Rin. It was like Winter Bell, but it wore a flowing, steely cloth around its waist, like a long skirt made of armor. Its wings grew, but also drooped down, and made them look more like scythes. The ball that made up part of its lower body had shattered, now replaced with a glowing , blue gem that connected the body to its fins. And finally, the monster's purple helmet had broken off at the back, letting long, white hair flow in the wind.

"Arise, queen of frost! Level 8, Windwitch - Frost Bell!" **(ATK 2800)**

Fernando shivered. "More cold? Really?"

Rin looked back to her opponent's side of the field. "Battle! Windwitch - Frost Bell attacks Trishula!"

The monster flew towards Trishula, its scythe arms extended outward. In an instant, it lunged at Trishula, struck it in the stomach, and continued to fly right on passed it. The monster stopped right in front of Fernando, who could only stare at it, and the exploding dragon behind it. **(Fernando 2700 → 2600)**

"Here's where it gets good," Rin explained. "Frost Bell requires its non-Tuner components to be Synchro monsters. And each time it destroys a monster, it inflicts damage equal to those Synchro monsters' level, multiplied by 200!" **(Fernando 2600: → 1200)**

"At this time, Dangerous Drawing activates!" Fernando declared. "Since I took 2000 or more damage this turn, I can draw two cards!"

Fernando pulled out the two top cards of his deck, then placed them in his hand. His duel-hand, not his hand-hand. Now, he had two cards at his disposal.

"Looks like I was right about you," he said to Rin.

Rin egao'd confidently. The odds were in her favor now. "I'll end my turn here."

Rin ended her turn with 4400 Life Points, and her Pendulum Scales and Windwitch - Frost Bell on her field. She had three cards in her hand, including her Windwitch's Familiar - Snowball.

* * *

 **Fernando: 3 Speed Counters**

 **Rin: 3 Speed Counters**

With Fernando's next draw, he now held three cards. Admittedly, he was starting to feel the pinch with this opponent; he was throwing out a lot to take her down, but she was able to take it and throw it back at him.

Of course, he wasn't scared. He'd fought worse than her, and he'd fight wose in the future. It wasn't in his nature to give up in the face of adversity.

Fernando held up a card. "When I control no monsters, I can pay one Speed Counter to Special Summon Tribute Salvo from my hand."

 **(Fernando SC: 3 → 2)**

When Fernando placed the card on his field, a large, white ball appeared to his right. The ball had a gentle egao and soft, blue eyes, and an unlit wick on the side of its head. **(ATK 1200)**

"Next, I play Monster Reborn, and revive by Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier!"

Monster Reborn appeared behind Fernando. The card dissolved until only the ankh remained. The ankh itself started to glow and take the shape of Trishula. **(ATK 2700)**

"Level Eater's effect: when it's in my Graveyard: I can reduce the Level of a Level 5 or higher monster I control, then Special Summon my Level Eater."

Level Eater itself materialized on the top head of Trishula. It flew through the air, carrying a Level star in its arms, and took its place at Fernando's side, opposite Tribute Salvo. **(DEF 0) (Trishula Level 9 → 8)**

"Tribute Salvo's effect: by Tributing itself and another monster, it can Special Summon a Tuner monster from my deck, if its level is equal or less than the total of the Tributed monsters' Levels."

Tribute's Salvo's wick finally ignited. A small fire grew at the top, and it burned down the wick. Once it reached the body, the monster exploded, casting a thick smog over Fernando's field. And it was at this point that Rin was glad that she had auto-pilot on, because riding through smog would be extremely difficult.

The smog soon cleared, and Fernando was left with his Level Eater, and a strange, white-skinned doll monster with blue hair and a green dress. **(ATK: 400)**

Rin looked at her screen. Fernando had brought out a Level 3 Tuner called Blank Heart. It was, to her surprise, a Normal monster.

 _What game are you playing, guy?_ Rin wondered.

"I tune my Level 1 Level Eater with my Level 3 Blank Heart!" Fernando called out.

Blank Heart became three green rings, and Level Eater became the Level star that danced between them. They clustered together and became a shining light.

"Peaceful angel, sing a song of life to those with no voice! Synchro Summon!"

The light became a four foot-tall, thin, white doll, again with no mouth. From the waist down, its body was simply a white, featureless coffin. Its head was bald, and its arms and chest were bare. Its eyes were a pale green, making them the most notable feature on this creature.

"Level 4, Normal Heart!" **(ATK 1450)**

This time, Rin focused on the road and keeping her speed. To her, it was clear that Fernando wasn't done with his turn. That's just how duels often were in the Synchro Dimension: combo-heavy strategies that involved multiple Special Summons, and even multiple Synchro Summons.

She had to relax and see where the duel took them.

"When Normal Heart is Synchro Summoned, I can Special Summon a Normal monster from my hand or Graveyard," Fernando explained. "Come forward, Red-Eyes!"

Normal Heart bent forward and opened up its coffin. Light spilled out over Fernando and his side of the field. Red-Eyes B. Dragon now materialized to Fernando's right, flying right beside him.

Rin raised an eyebrow. "You sure like Normal monsters. I hope bringing back Red-Eyes was worth it."

"Let me tell you something about Normal monsters," Fernando said with a rueful chuckle. "Did you know that I'm a Common?"

"I'm not surprised," Rin responded. "Normal monsters aren't something you'd expect from a Top."

"I know. Believe me, _I know_. And I had to pay for it."

Rin turned back to the man. "What to you mean?"

"I dueled a lot of people, and lost," Fernando went on. "You know how hard it is to use Normal monsters? Against monsters with effects, or even the toys the Tops have?"

"Then why did you use them?" Rin asked. "Unless... You didn't have any other choice."

The man nodded. "Right. In my early days, Normal monsters were the best I could get. So I had to make do with that I had, and improve."

Fernando looked to his Red-Eyes. The dragon's eyes fell on him, too. It threw back its head and let out a loud, prideful roar.

Now, back to Rin. Fernando said, "And I got better, and better, and better. I learned to win, even with Normal monsters. And when I got the cash, I started building my deck _around_ Normal monsters."

Rin nodded. "That's pretty impressive. But why did you keep your Normal monsters for so long?"

"Because we're friends," Fernando confirmed. "Red-Eyes and the others, they were there for me from the beginning. And I'll always be there for them."

Rin couldn't help but egao over that. "You're the kind of person I'd like to duel. So keep on dueling me!"

Fernando nodded again. "Right! I tune my Level 7 Red-Eyes with my Level 4 Normal Heart!"

Normal Heart became the four green rings that wrapped around Red-Eyes. Red-Eyes became the seven stars that joined with the rings to make a new, more powerful form.

"A dragon that's a blank canvas. Your indomitable spirit will color the world! Synchro Summon! Level 11, Plain White Dragon!"

The new form was of a large, winged dragon, not unlike a Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Its body was a pale, peach-white, and its head was round and smooth. It had a jaw full of sharp teeth, but its gray eyes were small, almost vestigial. Its tail was long and scraggly, like it wasn't fully formed or developed. **(ATK 3200)**

"Plain White's first effect: it gains 400 ATK for each Normal monster in either players Graveyard," Fernando explained. "Color Canvas! The monsters paint their legacy upon you!"

Sections of the dragon's body turned black, and others turned into a pale gray, or a pale blue. The colors of the Normal monsters stained Plain White's body, showing that their presence didn't completely leave the field just yet. **(Plain White Dragon ATK 3200 → 4000)**

Rin gulped. _Oh boy._

The two duelists drove through the roads, high above the city. By now, they had started to drift into the richer parts of town; skyscrapers started to become more common, and the tops of buildings were much closer to the highways.

Outside of her element, that's what Rin was. Both in and out of the duel, he was in a position that she wasn't too keen about.

"Plain White, fire at Frost Bell! Palette Cleanser!"

Plain White opened its mouth. A colorful rainbow beam blasted through its mouth and down the road. It ripped through Frost Bell's body, tearing the monster apart until nothing remained. **(Rin: 4400 → 3200)**

Rin was starting to sweat now. She found herself starting to slow down her pace. But Fernando and his dragon, much more spirited, simply rushed right passed her.

"I set a card and end my turn," Fernando concluded. "Good luck, kid."

Fernando ended the turn with an empty hand and 1200 Life Points. But he had a 4000 ATK-strong monster and a face-down Spell/Trap card, putting him in a comfortable position of strength.

* * *

 **Fernando: 3 Speed Counters**

 **Rin: 4 Speed Counters**

With Rin's next draw, she had four cards in her hand. And honestly, he was really proud of herself for not using up her hand in a couple of moves, like so many other duelists did. But you know, she likes to think ahead. That's just the kind of responsible, mature person she was. Unlike Yugo or Serena.

"I use the effect of Speed World 3," she announced. "I four Speed Counters to inflict 800 damage to you!"

 **(Fernando SC: 4 → 0)**

"Not so fast!" Fernando cried out. "Trap, activate! Go on, Healing Heart! I gain 500 Life Points for each Normal monster in my Graveyard."

 **(Fernando 1200 → 2700 → 1900)**

"Can't get rid of me that easily!" the man said with a smirk.

 _"Good,"_ Rin replied. "I like challenges. Bring it on."

Rin threw a hand up, and a swirling pendulum appeared high in the sky. It carved arcs of light in the air; brilliant, circular patterns.

"Pendulum Summon! Come forth, Windwitch - Sleet Bell!

A light fell from the sky and onto the field, smack between Fernando and Rin. Now flying in front of Rin was a pale, dour-looking girl in a sweater and summer dress, and a witch hat. She rode on a broom, and her movements seemed to leave a cool breeze to hit Rin. **(ATK 1300)**

"When Sleet Bell is summoned, I can Special Summon a Windwitch monster from my Graveyard, with its effects negated," Rin explained. "Also, I can't Special Summon any monsters from my Extra Deck, except WIND monsters."

Sleet Bell's hands let go of the broom. She slowly raised her hands up, and a flowing green wind escaped from her finger tips. The wind floated down to the monster's right side, and it took the form of Windwitch - Glass Bell. **(ATK 1500)**

"I summon Windwitch - Snowball from my hand," Rin went on. "Then, I Special Summon Windwitch - Snow Bell from my hand."

A white cat materialized on the field, to Sleet Bell's left. **(ATK 400)** Sleet herself looked at the monster, though seemed less than pleased with its appearance. And once Snow Bell **(ATK 0)** appeared next to Snowball, she looked even more bemused.

"Nice field," Fernando commented. "But can Synchro climbing save you? Something tells me that strong attack-power can't win this duel for you."

 _Ignore him for now, Rin. Time to rev it up._ "I tune my Level 4 Windwitch - Sleet Bell with my Level 1 Windwitch - Snowball!"

Yadda yadda yadda, synchro rings and stars, light combines, dramatic chant, boom.

"Synchro Summon! Level 5, Windwitch - Cold Bell!"

Now floating before Rin was a smaller, less sophisticated version of Winter Bell. It was a monster with a blocky, lumpy body and thick legs. Its wings were now hands, and its fins and armor were smaller, less developed. Its eyes were bigger, and its body had less of a shine to it. **(ATK 2100)**

They were now deeper into the rich part of town. The buildings grew higher, and helicopters could be seen high in the sky. The air blowing at her face felt cooler and cleaner than the air of the world below. It was soothing, to be honest.

"Cold Bell's effect," said Rin. " When it's summoned, all non-WIND monsters on the field lose 500 ATK and DEF."

Fernando looked back. The blocky monster put its hands together and sent a frosty wave of air at him and his monster. Air so powerful, it was able to completely resist the flow of the wind and reach Fernando, freezing hims to the bone. **(Plain White Dragon ATK 4000 → 3500)**

He didn't care for the Windwitch archetype right now.

"Next, I tune my Level 5 Windwitch - Cold Bell with my Level 1 Windwitch - Snow Bell!" Rin cried. "Ice and snow create the coldest breeze! Fly through this wind and bring create a mighty storm!"

Behold, the next shape of weather: it was a creature that looked like an in-between form of Cold Bell and Winter Bell, with more developed and defined body parts, airplane-like arms, and a body that was slimmer and more human.

"Synchro Summon! Level 6, Windwitch - Storm Bell!"

The creature had a more human, feminine face, and its chest was becoming more developed. Its body was a brilliant azure, and pulsating, glowing green lines spread over its form. Its feet were now joined as one fin, underneath a bumpy sphere that made up the monster's midsection. **(DEF 2600)**

The path to victory was in Rin's mind. She could see every step, every card, every opportunity before her. The man was putting her through the ringer, but she knew that she could pull off something great.

"When Cold Bell is used as Synchro material, I can Special Summon a Windwitch Tuner from my deck, but now I can only summon Level 5 or higher WIND monsters from my Extra Deck this turn."

As Fernando pondered the fairness of Rin's deck not suffering for its restrictive side-effects, a monster materialized beside her. This time, it was traditional bell, colored white and gold, and decorated with blue gems. Its top held a blue gem, along with feathery angel wings. **(ATK 200)**

"But that's not all!" Rin said emphatically. "Once per turn, Storm Bell can inflict damage to you, equal to the number of cards in my hand multiplied by 200!"

Storm Bell flew through the air. While it was much slower than Frost Bell, it was soon flying passed Fernando and his dragon. And once again, Fernando was assaulted by the chill in its wake. **(Fernando: 1900 → 1700)**

"I tune my Level 6 Windwitch - Storm Bell with my Level 2 Windwitch - Frosted Glass Bell!"

The bell monster flung itself forward, right over Fernando's head. (It was so close to hitting the back of his helmet that he was a bit worried.) One the card hit Storm Bell, it became a green ring that surrounded her body. Storm Bell became the stars, and everyone would unite to make the light.

"A cold winter's bite freezes the world solid. Spread your wings and bring a season unending! Synchro Summon!"

The light exploded outwards, in a bright flash. And once the light faded, everyone could see the creature that flew above and ahead of Rin. It was like Winter Bell, but it wore a flowing, steely cloth around its waist, like a long skirt made of armor. Its wings grew, but also drooped down, and made them look more like scythes. The ball that made up part of its lower body had shattered, now replaced with a glowing , blue gem that connected the body to its fins. Add finally, the monster's purple helmet had broken off at the back, letting long, white hair flow in the wind.

"Arise, queen of frost! Level 8, Windwitch - Frost Bell!" **(ATK 2800)**

Rin revved up her speed. Her monster was flying ahead of her and opponent, but she aimed to catch up to her creation. And to surpass her opponent.

But as she was catching up to him, she could see his face. Though his eyes were covered, she could see the sweat roll down the bottom half of his face. He was baring and gritting his teeth. And he was shivering from the constant assault of cold.

"Fernando, let's make a deal," Rin said.

Fernando turned his head to look at her. "What?"

"If I win, I'll only take as much money as I put up. No need to give me double, okay?"

"Why would you want that?" he asked, suspicious.

As Rin passed his shoulder, she looked back on him. She gave him a friendly, sympathetic egao. Then she kept her head forward and rode on by.

"Listen, I'm a Common, too. I know what it's like to struggle and want for more," Rin explained to him. "Believe me, I've spent my life trying to climb the hill."

"I still don't get it..." Fernando told her. "What's your game?"

Rin sighed, then egao'd to herself.

"That doesn't sound very fair..."

"Us Commons need to stick together," Rin told him. "Plus, you're already giving me cash for winning."

Fernando chuckled. "So, you think you can win?"

"Frosted Glass Bell's effect," Rin stated. "When used as material for the Summon of a WIND Synchro monster, that monster gains 1000 ATK."

 **(Windwitch - Frost Bell ATK 2800 → 3800)**

Fernando gulped. "Kid, I-"

"Battle!" Rin declared. "Wintwitch - Frost Bell attacks Plain White Dragon!"

The monster flew towards the dragon, its arms extended outward. In an instant, it was able to strike through Plain White's neck. Frost Bell's sharp arm ran through its enemy, digging into its scaly hide. The dragon let out a horrid, painful roar, while its wing beats started to falter.

Eventually, Frost Bell was able to cleanly cut through the neck to decapitate the monster. And as Frost Bell continued to fly towards Fernando, the monster behind was obliterated in an explosion. **(Fernando: 1700 → 1400)**

"At this time, Frost Bell's effect activated," Rin explained. "When it destroys a monster, it inflicts damage equal to those Synchro monsters' level, multiplied by 200!"

 **(Fernando: 1400 → 200)**

"Like I said, I don't like to go easy on my opponents. I'm a nice kid, but I'm still ruthless."

Fernando let out a gasp. Frost Bell flew right back to its summoner, but kept its steely eyes on him; a cold (haw-haw) reminder of his immediate future.

He wasn't even mad at the outcome. The duel, though short, was fun. And this girl had a sharp tongue on her; made the fight more interesting.

"What's your name again?" he asked his opponent.

"Rin," she responded. "It's on your screen, genius."

"Right, right," he chuckled. "Rin, you're not half bad. Attitude aside."

"Oh, I'll show you attitude."

Rin looked to her remaining monster, Windwitch - Glass Bell. "Now, let's finish this fight."

Fernando closed his eyes. No sense in worrying at this point. Time to relax and accept what was about to happen.

he could hear Rin's voice: _"Attack, Glass Bell!"_

 **(Fernando 200 → 0)**

* * *

The road had carried them to the outside of a public park, somewhere in the rich side of town. The two now sat opposite each other on park benches, with their D-Wheels parked close by.

Rin was leaning back on her bench, arms and legs spread. Normally, a wood bench wouldn't be too comfortable. But after spending so much time riding a bike, it was a godsend for her. Too bad Serena was in her head _and_ her business.

 _We could have used that extra cash!_ Serena barked.

 _Money doesn't grow on trees,_ Rin said sternly.

 _That's why we should have kept it! We could have payed for more groceries!_

 _... Oh yeah. Well, he's a Common; I'm sure he needs money, too. That's just how it is here._

 _I agree with Serena on this one,_ Ruri said. _I mean, the man was willing to make the deal. He probably had some cash to burn, if he could match and double the bet._

Fernando, meanwhile, flipped through the money in his wallet. After a moment, he produced two hundred dollars: ten 10 dollar bills, and the rest in 20 dollar bills. All in Synch currency, of course.

"You sure you just want the basic 200?" he asked Rin. "Not that I'm complaining... or letting you take back what you said."

"Yeah, keep the change," she replied, exhausted. "And keep talking; I need you to drown out the voices in my head."

Fernando paused for a moment, taking in Rin's strange statement. But he let the awkward moment pass without much worry. "You know, this actually means a lot to me."

Oh boy, here came the backpats and adoring compliments! Rin looked at the guy. "Oh?"

"Yeah. I've been making a lot of money on gambling, but not enough to pay off my huge debts. Every little bit of cash helps."

"Oh."

"The guy I owe money to?" Fernando sighed. "It was his idea to gamble cash like this. Figured it'd be a great way to help both of us: I can earn money, and he can scope out duelists."

"What does he need duelists for?" Rin asked.

Fernando shrugged. "Duels, mostly. I heard it pays good, but Garome has me working this beat to bring in new blood."

The sound of sqeaky shoes made Fernando look up from his wallet. Speak of the Devil and he shall show up, because Garome was approaching the scene.

Fernando could see the man's limousine in the distance. He wondered if Garome had waited here for them, or simply drove here after he and Rin took their break.

Garome's presence, or rather, the smoke coming from his cigar, also alerted Rin. When the little man approached then, she quickly straightened herself out and took a more poised, lady-like position, with her hands folded on her lap.

"Can I help you, sir?" Rin asked him.

"Yes, quite!" the man exclaimed. "I happened to see your duel, young lady, and I liked what I saw."

"How did you see the duel? I didn't see you on the road."

"Oh, my man, Fernando was recording it."

Rin turned to Fernando and gave hi a death glare. "The f... you were recording me, like a creep?"

Fernando shrugged. "I told ya, I scout duelists for my boss. So my helmet has a camera, and the sounds are broadcasted."

Rin shivered. "You're so creepy! I take it back, I want my extra cash."

Garome threw his hands up. "Wait wait wait a second, kiddies! While we're on the subject of money..."

"You're going to offer me a deal to duel, or whatever," Rin interjected. "Yeah, Fernando explained it already."

"And are you interested?" Garome asked hopefully.

Rin put a finger to her chin, thinking. "Honestly? It sounds fun, but I make it a point not to follow strangers and do what they say. Plus I really need to buy groceries."

Garome had to smirk at this. He was used to people turning down. People would see the him and instantly know that he was not a pleasant guy. Not that he really concerned himself with their opinions.

He looked to Fernando, then gave him a nod. A nod that Fernando instantly recognized and deciphered.

"Rin, it's a pretty good opportunity," Fernando stated. "I'd suggest taking it."

Rin looked to Fernando. "Yeah, I'm not listening to his accomplice. Something tells me you're _kind of_ a biased source."

"I'm serious," the man lied. "You wanted to use the money for your orphans, or whatever? Think of how much you can help them."

Rin bit her lip. He... had her there.

"You won't lose anything by trying," Fernando went on. "Just duel and get payed for your work. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Listen to the boy, girl," Garome advised.

"What's a boy-girl?"

Ignoring that inane comment, Garome went on, "This guy here, he was in a bad place when I found him. No money, no family, fresh out of prison. A real loser, a complete _failure_ in life."

 _"... Charming,"_ Fernando grumbled.

"Salt of the Earth? More like _scum_ of the earth. A real piece of human garbage, if you can even say he's human."

"You can stop at any time."

"No, keep going," Rin said.

"You're brutal as ever, kid."

"Look, my point is!" Garome exclaimed. "My! Point! Is! I saved him from his old life. I'm a miracle worker. I give people what they need to save them from themselves."

Garome extended a hand out to Rin. "What do you say? At least come and scope out the scene? You don't have to make any deals right away."

Rin looked at the hand with disdain. It was decorated with jewels, but it reeked of smoke and sweat. It didn't help that it was attached to a creepy old guy.

 _Let's hear him out,_ Serena said. _Just don't go in his car, though._

 _I'm conflicted,_ Ruri said. _Fernando's vouching for him, but he's not exactly excited over it._

 _What do you guys think?_ Rin asked.

 _Go,_ Serena told her. _The money could help a lot of people._

 _Maybe don't go,_ Ruri told her. _We don't know if we can trust this can._

 _See what he has to say,_ Yuzu said. _But don't go in his car, message Yuya first, and don't make any rash deals._

Rin could hear the three girls, all speaking in her head. They couldn't decide on what to do, and neither could she.

She looked to Fernando for guidance on this one. He was egao-ing at her, but his eyes were heavy and sad. Regardless, he was giving her a small nod.

Rin sighed, then pushed Garome's hand away. But she did rise up and face him directly.

"I'm willing to _listen_ ," she told the man.

Fernando sighed.

"Excellent!" Garome said, rubbing his hands together... And smooshing his cigar. "Now, follow me to my limo. You're gonna love the-"

Rin shook her head. "Yeah, I'm not going in your car."

"Fine, fine. Then you can meet me at my duel stadium."

Garome dropped his cigar, then held up his left arm before him. He lifted up his sleeve, revealing a Synchro Dimension Duel Disk, which he then turned on.

"I'll message you the location. Come as soon as you can. Bring friends, family, pets, whatever - I don't care. I'm a dependable guy."

"I doubt that," Rin admitted.

Garome frowned. "You're a very honest kid."

"Thank you."

"Yeah, cut it out."

After a few minutes, Garome had successfully given Rin his contact information, which she wrote down in her own Disk. Rin, of course, refused to share her Duel Disk's number or mail address; she was in it for the business, after all. Not to give her private deetz away to strange, older men she met at a park.

"Pleasure doing business with you," Garome said to her. "Hope to see you soon, kid."

And with that, Garome turned on his heel and started making his way towards his vehicle. As he walked, he pulled a cigar from his jacket pocket, then brought it to his mouth. This was followed by him pulling out a lighter from his other pocket, then lighting the tip of his cigar with flames.

Garome didn't let his thoughts out, but he knew that Rin would end up coming around to him. That was the funny thing about people: at the end of the day, they still came to him in their time of need, when they wanted something. Because he had the power to fix their problems, and they didn't.

His mind was already filled with plans for her. A duelist this strong? He had a million ways to exploit her skills.

Rin was about to get involved with a dangerous man, she knew. But at the time, she wasn't fully aware of what Garome was capable of.

Rin gave Fernando a nod, then started to move away from the scene, towards her D-Wheel. She figured she could meet Garome at his office in about an hour, discuss deals with him for half an hour, then hit the grocery store when she got home. With any luck, she'd be back at the orphanage before Martha even realized she had left. And tomorrow, she could get to work on dueling for some sweet, sweet do-re-mi.

Which was Common slang for money.

"Rin, wait."

Rin turned around to face Fernando. "What?"

"Just don't take any loans from Garome," he said austerely.

"You owe him money, right?" Rin asked. "He's why you're in debt?"

Fernando nodded. "Garome's right about being a miracle worker. Get on his good side, and he can help you. You don't even need to take money from him; he has ways of getting you whatever you want."

Rin groaned. "I think there's a _but_ coming up."

"Work can for him, _but_ don't ask anything from him," he said to her. "When you ask something of him, you're making a deal with the Devil."

Rin felt a shiver run down her spine. The voices of her head went deathly silent. Hearing Fernando's words seemed to put an entirely new spin on the man. Somehow, it made the man... She didn't know. Garome was obviously bad news. But now, she didn't feel invulnerable to his danger. It felt more real now.

"You owe him money, you owe your life to him. He'll _own_ you."

Rin could tell that she made a mistake.

"Sorry for getting you into this," Fernando told her. "Really, I am. But you don't want to refuse Garome, either. When he sets his eyes on something, he tries to get it."

 _Even if we didn't accept the deal, he'd come after us,_ Yuzu surmised.

 _Maybe we can go back to the Pendulum Dimension,_ Ruri offered. _Get help, then maybe deal with this with allies._

 _No, let's fight him!_ Serena demanded. _Call Yuri, and Gongenzaka, and Chojro. If this guy's so bad, we should take him down._

Rin didn't respond. She was too busy wondering about Martha and the orphanage now. Would Garome go after them if she ran? From what Fernando said, she was almost sure of it.

"I'm sorry," Fernando said again.

"... Thanks," was all Rin could muster.

"Us Commons stick together, you know?" Fernando said, egao-ing weakly.

Fernando rose from his seat and walked over to Rin. He presented the cash right to her, though she was hesitant to accept it. She kept her hands in her jacket pocket, unwilling to take it.

"I don't want the money..." she told him.

"Huh? Why not?" he asked her.

"You're indebted to him. You need the money more than I do."

Fernando rolled his eyes. "Rin, just take it. I'll be fine."

"Yeah, right," Rin scoffed. "You tell me about this guy being so... _predatory_. He _owns_ you. How do you expect me to just take the money from you now?"

"I..."

Rin looked away. "I'll be fine, Fernando. I can handle things. Better than you can, at least."

"Look here, Rin."

Rin looked back to Fernando. Now, he was holding up his deck. He quickly ran his fingers through the cards, before stopping at a Spell card.

"Let me give you something," he said to her.

"I don't need anything!" Rin protested. "Just stop-"

" _You_ stop!" the man snapped back. "Just let me- let me do this for you. Please."

Fernando pulled the card from his deck and presented it to her. Rin kept her hands in her pocket, and she once again turned her head away from him.

"Please," he said again.

"I don't need it," Rin said disdainfully.

 _"Please."_

It was a moment of weakness for Rin. She couldn't help but look back to the man pleading before her, to acknowledge him. When she did, she was immediately disarmed by his sad, guilt-ridden eyes. They almost made her cry, herself.

 _"Fine," Rin sighed._

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Pendulum Dimension, Reiji was once again busy with work. The duties of a CEO were never done. Even now, as he walked down a hallway in LDS Tower, he was followed by Nakajima.

The man was continually bombarding Reiji with questions, comments and concerns, as well as listing off meeting times, scheduling conflicts, and pretty much anything else he could think of. Reiji handled it all with quick, concise responses and his quintessential calmness.

"Sir, we've finished the Yuya doll prototype."

"Bring it to me later," Reiji told him. "I'll test it for accuracy. We need to make sure that its hair texture is accurate to that of Yuya's hair."

"On it, sir," Nakajima responded. "We've also started work on the Gongenzaka and Dennis dolls. Would you also like to test them for accuracy."

"No. I don't have the time to focus on everything. Yuya's doll is the most important , and will sell the most. It's the only one worth my time."

"Understood, sir," the employee answered. "And, about Miss Zaizen..."

Reiji stopped in his tracks. "I'll be paying her a visit now."

And then Nakajima had a sudden heart attack and died.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Unlike Yuzu and Serena, Rin's less receptive to using other Summon methods. It's partly because of her stubborn personality, partly because Synchro Summoning is just so natural to her, that she doesn't really try and use anything else.**_

 _ **Anyway, after I finish this story, I want to write a sequel series. But I'm not sure which one to write. Maybe tell me which one you'd be most interested in, or if you want to see a sequel at all?**_

 _ **A) Taking place thirty years after the end of ARC-V, the story focuses on the students of You Show Duel School, which includes the offspring of several characters. It would have more focus on this fanfic's story developments. The main character is a plucky, friendly girl who's just learning how to duel, and goes to a lot of characters for advice and training. The story is cute and focuses on character interactions and development.**_

 _ **Or**_

 _ **B) Another fic taking place thirty years after ARC-V. It focuses on an original character and his friends, who get involved in a war between Duel Spirits. They become investigators that travel through worlds, investigating suspicious activity related to Duel Spirits and cards. The main character is a responsible, martyr-like big brother whose protective nature sometimes leads him to do questionable things. Less focus on this fanfic's lore and story developments, but they're still utilized. The story is more action-packed and focuses more on plot, deception and mystery.**_

 _ **What do you guys think?**_

 _ **Next time: Garome introduces Rin to a world of underground dueling and illegal activities. Is he really such a bad guy? Yugo seems to think so. Meanwhile, Reiji seeks information from his prisoner.**_


	54. Highway 405: Spin to Rin

_**Fun Fact: Sergey is fucking dead.**_

 _ **Description: Rin learns about the wonders of illegal gambling and fixed matches.**_

* * *

Back at the orphanage, things were just swell. ENJOY Chojiro and the man, Gongenzaka sat with the orphans. By now, Gongenzaka and Chojiro had finished their food and now sat before empty plates. A few of the older children had empty, or near-empty plates, while a few, younger kids still dallied with their meals.

Yuya, meanwhile, scraped some of the contents of his plate into a bowl on the floor. En happily ran over to the bowl and started chowing down on the stir-fry.

"There's a good boy," Yuya said to the pup. "We shoulda asked Rin to pick up dog food, huh? But at least you got one of Yuto's best meals."

"I'll say!" Chojiro happily exclaimed. "I haven't dined on food that good since the Friendship Cup!"

"It's really delicious," Gongenzaka agreed. "Yuya, please give Yuto my thanks."

Yuya egao'd. He could feel Yuto's feelings of pride swell in his heart. The feelings were so strong, it was as if they were Yuya's own emotions.

"Something tells me that Yuto appreciates your thanks," Yuya explained.

 _Yuya,_ Yugo called out.

 _Huh? What?_ Yuya mumbled internally. _What is it, Yugo?_

 _Try to talk to ENJOY about the money problems. We need to know what's going on._

 _Oh it._ "Hey, Gongenzaka."

Gongenzaka rose up from his seat, carrying a small pile of plate in his hands. "I have the dishes, Yuya. Don't worry."

"No, it's fine!" Yuya responded. "Could you just take the kids out to play while I speak to Chojiro? I'll take care of the dishes."

"What's this about?" Chojiro questioned.

"Understood," Gongenzaka said immediately.

Gongenzaka placed the plates down, then motioned for the kids to follow him. Yuya, ENJOY and Gon helped the kids out of their seats, and Gongenzaka would slowly take them through the back doors to play in the yard.

Soon, Yuya and Chojiro were alone. The latter pulled up a seat aaat one of the tables, close to Yuya.

"What did you need to talk about?" Chojiro asked him.

"Not me, exactly," Yuya admitted. "Yugo wanted to talk. He wanted to know more about the orphanage's money problems."

Chojiro grumbled. He put a hand on his chin, then looked off to the side... But then he turned back to Yuya and looked him directly in the eyes, because he didn't want to shy away from someone he respected.

"I can't tell you," he said. "I'm sorry, but I can't discuss Martha's private matters like this."

"I understand," Yuya sighed. "So we'd have to talk to Martha if we wanted more information?"

"Indeed."

"Thank you," Yuya responded. "But is there anything we can to do help, at least?"

But before Yuya could answer, he immediately added, "Actually, no. Mr. Tokumatsu, tell me what's going on, _now_."

Chojiro was surprised by the sudden conviction and force in Yuya's voice. And honestly, Yuya was, too; it was like he was overcome with tension and frustration. Thoughts and emotions that he wasn't really feeling until he spoke out.

"Sorry," Yuya said quietly. "But please, you can trust us."

Chojiro sighed. "Be that as it may, I can't discuss Martha's debt."

Yuya raised an eyebrow. "So she's in debt? That's the cause of her problems?"

Chojiro winced. It was right then that he realized that he went and goofed up.

"Y-yes..." he admitted. "The orphanage was struggling financially for years, and she took out a loan from someone. But I won't discuss this any more, Yuya."

"Years? But we never knew about this debt until now."

"Martha keeps the kids in the dark about the orphanage's woes."

Chojiro turned his head to a window. He stared outside, watching Gongenzaka being chased by a pack of children. All of them, except Gongenzaka, seemed so happy and carefree.

"... For good reason," he concluded.

Yuya could feel himself overcome with feelings again. This time, he was awash with frustration and indignity. He felt... ashamed, in a way? For knowing about a problem that was right under his nose. That he should have known about, because

 _The kids are my responsibility._

Wait, were those his thoughts? Yuya wasn't sure. He could sense that Yugo felt the same way, he could just tell. But those were also Yuya's own thoughts. Right?

Yuya shook his had. Now was not the time to worry about his own head. Right now, his heart and mind were crying out for the children, and for Martha. They needed him. Them. Whatever.

Yuya slammed his hands on the table. "Mr. Tokumatsu, please tell me about the debt! Martha and these kids are my responsibility, too!"

Chojiro looked back to Yuya, staring into his eyes once more. Chojiro's own eyes grew softer. His aged, tired face seemed to find a small spark of energy. Of hope, of joy. He egao'd.

"Yuya," Chojiro said quietly. "I shouldn't be telling you. I'd be putting you in danger, because I know you'd get involved with Garome. And I don't want to expose you to that danger."

Yuya- no, _Yugo_ blinked, revealing his blue eyes. _Garome?_ He recognized that name.

"Garome's a dangerous man," Chojiro told him. "He can trap people into a life of debt, or force them into doing what he wants. Like he's doing with Martha... To challenge him without understanding him could be your undoing."

 _He was the guy that owned a... business, right?_ Yugo wondered. _No, he sponsored some people who took part in the past few Friendship Cups. Or maybe it's both._

"But at the same time, Yuya... you make miracles happen. If anyone could bring him down, it would be you. And I could help."

Yugo egao'd. Though he was still feeling anxious, he could see the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. His questions would be answered, and he'd be able to help Martha.

"Where's Garome now?" Yugo asked.

"Well, I don't know _where_ he is now," Chojiro admitted. "I don't exactly follow him around. But, uh... Maybe we could think about it? And brainstorm ideas."

Yugo frowned. And sighed. And said, "Well, crap."

But something happened right then and there: serendipity. A word that Yugo didn't know or understand at the time, but it was something he experienced right then, when his Duel Disk let out a small chirp.

He raised his Disk up to his face and turned it on. There, displayed on his screen, was a series of text messages from Yuzu's Duel Disk:

 _Yugo, will be late. At underground dueling arena_

 _meeting a man_

 _Piero Garome_

 _14 Seventh Street, under factory building, back doom_

 _door*_

 _Will call when done. If not called by then, come help me_

 _be sure to clean the toddlers after_

 _after they eat_

 _xoxo Rin_

First off: _**Riiiiiiiiiiiiiin~**_ Yugo couldn't help at blush at the message? "XOXO?" That was two hugs and two kisses. Rin sent him two hugs and two kisses!

Second off... Or was it _secondly_? But no time to wonder, because third off: Yugo was already running out the room.

Chojiro looked at the boy as he ran. "Wait! Where are you going?!"

But it was too late. With an idea in his head, Yugo was ready to get his bike and ride into action.

* * *

 _Okay, so maybe this wasn't the brightest idea._

Rin was now sitting before Garome. They were in his office/sky box, a floor above the underground dueling track. In fact, from Rin's seat, she could look out the window and peer down at the track: a duelist named had fallen off her bike, but her leg was caught on something. The bike, likely on auto-pilot, was driving around the field with her being dragged on the floor, her screams almost drowned out by the audience's cheering.

Rin knew of the girl: she was Carly Nagisa, a local reporter from the rich part of town. Rin wondered why she was there, and under the fake name of "Carly Nanosa," but assumed that this was one of her infamous, "undercover" missions she was famous for.

Rin was busy looking down on the people. Garome, meanwhile, sat behind his desk and casually smoked a cigar. He leaned back in his seat and looked at his free hand, admiring the handsome collections of stones on his fingers. He was proud of his wealth, and he wanted everyone to know.

"So glad we could meet, kid," Garome said to his guest.

"Uh-huh..." Rin said quietly. Still distracted by that dueling field; now, two people had jumped onto the track, presumably to rescue Carly. But now, they were being chased by the bike? What was going on?

"Kid?" Garome asked. "Kid?"

Rin's head darted back up. "Yeah, I'm paying attention!"

Garome raised a greasy eyebrow. "Eh, good...?"

"So, you were telling me about the business proposal?" Rin asked him. "Could you go over it again?"

"I didn't even go over it a first time."

"Right... Right."

 _You're blowing this, Rin,_ Rin told herself.

 _Be glad this is the only thing you're blowing,_ Yuzu warned her. _I'm still not 100% sure on all of this. We need to be careful in what we say and do._

 _Jesus Christ, Yuzu,_ said Ruri. _Did you really have to... go there?_

 _Sorry._

"Let me get down to the nitty-gritty here," Garome said. "Imagine yourself picturing this: you, dueling in front of a screaming audience. They're cheering your name. You're their hero, you're a star. They came here to see you duel. They _believe_ in you, Sin."

"Rin."

 _"Rin,"_ Garome corrected himself. "And when you're a star, I rake in big money. And when I rake in money, _you_ rake in money."

"Money makes the world go round, yes," Rin responded. "How much money am I getting out of this."

"It depends on several factors."

Rin rolled her eyes. "You're not selling this very well."

Brutal. And awkward. Garome let out an uncomfortably long, wheezing cough to drown out the uncomfortable silence between them.

After coughing, he cleared his throat and took a puff from his smoke. He then said to Rin, "Your cut is dependent on the size of the audience. So the longer you work here, and the more people you attract, the bigger your cut."

"What's in it for me?" Rin asked him.

"Why, 10% of ticket sales!" Garome said happily. "For every win, you get 10% of the ticket sales. And more people will come flocking to see your skills, so you'll be earning more and more."

"That makes sense," Rin admitted. "And the more people that come, the more people are placing bets."

"If I bet on you winning, I get _even more_ money!"

"But what if I lose? Then I've just wasted my time, and get nothing."

"So you better not lose!" Garome laughed.

Rin frowned. "Wonderful..."

"Of course, you don't _have_ to win matches to earn some cash," Garome went on. "Sometimes, I'll ask you to... not surrender... _give_ some wins to your opponents."

Rin looked confused. "What?"

"It's the only way to get paid for losses: everyone bets on you, I bet against you. You throw the match, I collect big, and you get a cut."

"That's dishonest," Rin grumbled. "A true duelist would never do that."

"Sometimes, honor don't mean much here," Garome told her. "But making a show _always_ does. And in the end, people are paying for a good show. Right?"

Not right.

"So if the showing is entertaining, people are happy. And if they lose money, it's their fault for placing bets; they should know how the Underground works. Right?"

"Let me get this straight," Rin said. "You want me to win, and attract big crowds. Get people interested in betting on me."

"Right."

"And then, when they all think I'm a safe bet, you turn the tables and clean house."

"You catch on quick, girl!" Garome said happily. "And if people bet more money than they can pay off, ol' me can come in and offer to help them in their time of need."

Rin frowned, baring her teeth. Now she was starting to see the game for what it was: Garome was the only one who was allowed to win.

 _Let's kick his ass,_ Serena suggested.

 _Let's call Security on him,_ Ruri said. _They'll be able to bring the whole operation down, better than us just fighting him._

 _Good point,_ Serena said. _And what if he controls the police, too? What if some officers are under his control?_

 _... Then we'd be in trouble,_ Rin said.

 _We'll need to think this over,_ Yuzu advised.

 _Agreed._

"The real money's in the gambling, though," Garome informed her. "At first, you'll be a dark horse; everyone will bet against the new kid, the little girl."

"And you bet on me?" Rin mused. "And then you rake in a lot of cash."

"The perfect plan!" Garome chuckled. "I get money from tickets, I get money from gambling, I get people who will do anything to pay their gambling debts off... Really, it's a wonderful system. God bless Synchro-America!"

Honestly, Rin never thought why all the countries in the Synchro Dimension had "Synchro-" as a prefix. But now, after seeing multiple worlds beyond her own, she understood. She had _even more_ questions about things now, but at least she got this.

"This all sounds... reasonable," Rin admitted. "Shady and morally questionable, but it sounds like a system that works."

"And you don't really suffer for it, right?" Garome said, smiling. "You don't need to take out any loans, and you'll be raking in cash because of your amazing dueling skills."

"It all sounds nice, I guess," Rin said quietly. "But can I have some time to think about it? Maybe I can get back to you tomorrow."

Garome nodded solemnly. "Fair enough, fair enough."

Rin sighed. "Thanks."

"Just remember: the sooner you start working for me, the sooner we can help that orphanage you told me about."

Rin frowned. "Thanks..."

Now, Rin was already on edge, and a bit uncomfortable with the shadiness of the whole ordeal. After all, she was dealing with a man who made his money from the misfortune of others. But at the same time, Garome was putting the screws to her. This was a good deal, and she couldn't exactly pass it up. Even if she wanted to, she'd be putting the burden of money on Martha and the others.

 _What was worse?_ she wondered. _Scamming innocent people, or not helping my family?_

And she couldn't help but have a nagging voice at the back of her head, telling her that something was coming. That she had to worry. And for once, that nagging voice wasn't one of her sisters.

Cue the door bursting right off of hits hinges and falling to the floor. Yugo drove his bike straight into the room and rode towards the scene. He smashed through a coffee table and knocked over a chair, barely missing Rin's own seat. He then stopped right before Garome's desk and threw his helmet to the floor.

Ah, okay. So that's what the nagging voice was trying to tell her.

"DEAR LORD!" Rin screeched. "YUGO! WHAT THE HELL?!"

Garome was also in shock. He rose out from his seat and took a step back. In his surprise, he didn't notice the chair was still behind him; he tripped over the chair and fell back into his seat.

"Who the hell are you?!" he barked, pointing his cigar at the boy.

"DAMN IT!" Rin roared.

Yugo looked to Rin and winked. Then, turning back to face Garome, he pulled himself off of the bike. He knelt down slowly, scooped his helmet back into his arms, and rose up extraaaaa slowly. To go for that dramatic, intimidating slow-motion effect.

"You're Garome, right?" he said. His tone was harsh and aggressive. "I've been looking for you!"

"YOU DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IF THIS WAS THE GUY YOU'RE LOOKING FOR!"

"Oi! Stop yelling at me!" Yugo snapped.

"You just drove your D-Wheel through my office!" Garome screeched. "What the hell?!"

"YOU DROVE YOUR D-WHEEL THROUGH HIS OFFICE!" Rin agreed in all-caps.

"And I'm going to drive over his face, too!" Yugo declared. "Garome, I'll make sure that you're gonna forgive the orphanage's debts, even if I have to use force!"

Rin let out a small gasp, then bit her lip.

"Is that's what's going on?" Garome asked nervously. "R-really, I think we can settle this if we calm down...!"

"Wait," Rin spoke up. "Yugo, what's going on?"

"Martha owes money to this guy," Yugo told her. "He's screwing her over now, because he's trapped her in debt!"

Rin's eyes widened. Immediately, her gaze flew to Garome. "Is this true?"

Garome nodded solemnly. Guess the jig was up for him... Not that he was really focused on hiding his devious side from the girl. But if she was going to waver, she'd be harder to reign in. He had to nip any bad thoughts at the roots, before things grew out of control.

"Indeed," Garome confirmed. "The orphanage owes me for coming to save it."

"And trapping Martha in debt," Rin added bitterly.

"Listen, where would those kids be without me?"

"Maybe we could have saved them!" Yugo said. "O-or the city, when the council was disbanded!"

Garome grinned. "No one was coming to save them before. And that's why they came to me; they had nowhere else to go."

Yugo and Rin tilted their heads down. Rin scowled, while Yuto let out a little growl. They both wanted to say things. _Mean_ things... But at the same time, they had to admit that Garome might have had a point.

Yugo's thoughts were back to the kids. he didn't even know about the money problems. How would he be able to solve them then? _But I could save them now, right?_

Garome held up his hands and shrugged his shoulders. "But I'm not a monster, of course. After all, I'm talking to you, and not having Security haul you out on your asses."

He looked to Yugo. "Look, I'm not going to duel you. I don't _have_ to. But I'm willing to strike a deal."

"Yugo, don't do it," Rina said quickly.

Yugo barked at the man, "Why should I listen to you?"

"Beat ten duelists I've selected, and you'll get a chance to battle me," Garome explained cooly. "If you successfully defeat all of us, then I will forgive the _entire_ debt."

Yugo blinked, and a wide egao appeared on his face.

"That's hella!" Yugo exclaimed.

 _"Yugo!"_ Rin screeched. "Did you not learn _anything_?!"

"What?"

"Don't make deals with him!"

"But this is a good deal!" Yugo protested.

Garome raised a hand once more. This time, it was to silence the children and draw their attention back to him.

"Rin's right," Garome said sadly. "You should be aware of a contract's fine print. I can't, in good conscious, present the deal without giving you the full story."

Yugo's eyes narrowed. "... What?"

"If you fail to beat me, or any of the duelists," Garome went on, "You will be indebted to me. I will transfer Martha's debt onto you, and you will be the one forced to work for me."

Rin was starting to sweat now. Her fingers dug into the airs of her chair, and her eyes strained to look to Yugo. Seeing her (boy?)friend, her closest friend, the person she cared for so much. The uncertainty in his face was extremely worrying.

"It's a tough deal, but fair," Garome said happily. "And I am nothing if not fair."

Yugo cupped his hand around his chin. His eyes fell back down, and his mind slipped into a sea of thought.

"Hmm..." he muttered quietly. "Hrm..."

"Yugo, this is insane!" Rin yelped. "You can't take that deal!"

Yugo looked to her. His face didn't show fury, but determination and extreme focus. "So what should I do then?"

"Not take the deal! Let me handle it!"

"Like hell I will!" Yugo barked. " Rin, people I care about are _hurting_ because of this ass! You think I can just sit down and let that go?"

"Yugo, don't be an idiot! Can't you see that you're just going to hurt yourself?! It's irresponsible!"

"I'm responsible for everyone!" Yugo said. "If I have to do something irresponsible for them, I don't care what'll happen to me!"

Rin winced. At once, all the fighting spirit left her body. Staring at Yugo's intense face, hearing his words still ring through the air. She... Yugo was an idiot, of course. He was being completely stupid. A hero without a cause.

Rin had to look away from Yugo. Because if she was in his position, she'd do the same thing.

Yugo turned back to Garome. "I'm ready, you ass. Bring on the duels."

There was an immediate red flag right there: Garome was smiling wickedly. He twirled his cigar between his fingers and leaned back against his desk. Frankly, he looked like he was about to not only eat Yugo, but also get away with it.

"How about we strike a deal, kid?" the man said sweetly. "You only have to duel one duelist to get to me: Rin."

Rin, who had been leaning back from shock, nearly fell out of her seat.

"Think about it!" Garome insisted. "If you win, then you just have to go through me, and you're done. If you lose, you never bother me again, unless you want a loan."

"I've got a better deal," Yugo responded. "I kick your ass, and you forget the debt."

Garome smiled. His eyes fell to Rin, who nearly shivered from his gaze.

"If Rin wins, I'll take away 10% of the orphanage's debt," Garome continued. "Frankly, I'm giving you both way too much, but I'm just too much of a gentleman sometimes."

Rin wanted to say something there. To point out that he was pitting them against each other. That he'd still be able to profit from the duel somehow. Garome was hardly a gentleman; he was putting them in a horrible position where he'd profit no matter what, while looking like a generous guy.

 _So this was what Fernando meant_ , Rin thought. _These really are deals with the Devil._

Still, she couldn't _completely_ blame Garome for this. Yugo was the one who was barging in and putting himself at risk. _Ugh_ , Yugo could be so aggravating sometimes.

But on the other hand, Garome was offering her a good incentive to duel... No. No, she couldn't let Yugo put himself on the line, cool Zarc powers or not. Garome could rig the duels against him, probably. She wouldn't put it past him. So a duel had to be a last resort.

 _Rin, stop thinking and pay attention_ , Serena told her.

 _Oh, yeah_. Whoops.

"Now, I think you should consider it, boy," Garome chided. "I won't duel you unless I get something I want. At least this way, I'm giving Rin a chance to help people."

Yugo threw his helmet to the floor. He took a step towards Garome while raising up his fists.

"I'm an idiot, but I'm not braindead!" Yugo howled. "You think I'll ever turn against Rin like that?!"

"Hey, I'm just doing what I can!" Garome said simply.

"Doing what you can to screw us over!"

"Yugo!" came Rin's voice.

Yugo felt a slap at the back of his head. He rubbed the back of his skull and turned to Rin, who was standing behind him. She looked very, very displeased with him.

"Rin, what's that for?!" Yugo whined.

"Yugo, don't be stupid!" Rin barked. "I can relieve the debt on my own! Don't try to play hero and get yourself in a mess! I can't bail you out all the time!"

Yugo threw his arm back. "But I don't care about being a hero! I care about helping people!"

Rin sighed. "Look, you mean well. But meaning well isn't enough."

Yugo scratched at the back of his head. Partly out of confusion, partly because he was still hurting from that smack. "Eh? What are you talking about, Rin?"

"You think you can help others, but you're still too immature to see the risks."

Rin pointed a finger right at Yugo. The accusatory point made the boy instinctively jump back.

"You want to be responsible for others, but that means making hard choices," Rin told him. "And I'm making a hard choice right now, to protect you."

"R-Rin?!" Yugo stammered.

"For your own good, Yugo," Rin declared. "I challenge you to a duel!"

* * *

Reiji had taken a seat on a comfortable, padded lounge chair. He overlooked the thick, red curtains that blocked the other side of the room from his view, just a few feet in front of him. From beyond the veil, he could hear the sounds of footsteps, someone walking around.

He was a couple of floors below his office. The room was incredibly spacious, though with half of the room hidden away, it would be hard for people to tell. But they needed that space to make Aoi Zaizen's stay here as comfortable as possible.

"Still don't want to pull the curtains back, Miss Zaizen?" Reiji called out.

"I'm good!" the woman called back. "And you can go to hell any time now."

"Believe me, I've already been."

The sound of footsteps briefly stopped. The curtains, which were raised enough to show the girl's ankles, showed that she paused in her tracks. But after a moment of silence, she kept walking towards Reiji's right.

"I was hoping that we could talk today," Reiji said.

"The answer still won't change," Aoi replied coldly. "I have nothing to say to you."

"You know that I could get your knowledge through force," Reiji told her.

For a moment, there was only silence from the other side of the curtain.

"We have the technology to probe your mind," Reiji continued. "We could have simply sedated you, reached into your mind, and take what you need."

Again, no response.

"And we could have erased your memories of our actions, or maybe even reprogram you to side with us."

After a bit of hesitation, a weak voice could be heard, "Why are you telling me all of this? All of these... horrible things?"

Reiji folded his hands together. "I want you to know what we're capable of."

"Why?"

"So you can see that we're not the monsters you think we are," Reiji told her.

"I-"

"I want you to know that we have the power to hurt and destroy," he went on. "But I won't use it. Because I respect your mind. I respect you. And I don't want to hurt you."

Silence.

"We have the power to hurt others, but we don't want to use it. All we want is peace."

"You could have your peace if you just altered me," Aoi countered. "It would be easier, wouldn't it? I couldn't even fight back."

"It would be _easy_ , but it wouldn't be _right_ ," Reiji concluded. "I don't want us to be enemies, Miss Zaizen. I want everyone to be unharmed, even if it's a struggle."

"You already harmed me..."

"And you harmed my employee, much more than I have ever, or will ever, harm you."

The curtains were slowly being pulled back. The other side of the room was being unveiled to Reiji: a bed; books' a television; two smaller, individual rooms behind her, for the washroom and shower. Aoi was by the wall, pulling on the tassels to open the curtains. She stood next to the phone that could only reach certain places in the building.

There was a thick, transparent wall that separated one side of room from the other. Now that the curtain was gone, the window, and everything behind it could be seen. Aoi was trapped on the other side of the wall, looking at Reiji with tired eyes.

Notably, she wore her regular clothes. Despite the fact that Reiji had offered her new clothes countless times, she refused every offer.

"I can't be sure if I can trust you," Aoi admitted to him. Her voice was tired and hoarse. "I could never help our enemy."

"And why is that?" Reiji asked her.

"I don't want to give away anything that could put our mission in jeopardy. I can't give you information that could hurt us."

"I'm not asking for the inner workings," Reiji told her. "I just want to be able to communicate with the Link Dimension."

Aoi started to walk towards the left of the room, towards the bed. She crossed her arms and turned her head. It was clear to Reiji that she wasn't willing to budge on the matter.

"I would rather... would rather die than betray them..." she said. Her voice was shaky, yet still sounded full of conviction.

"I understand, Miss Zaizen," Reiji said simply. "But unfortunately, I cannot let you go until peace is made between our two factions. Your group still poses a threat to us, and giving them one more member would endanger many lives on our side."

Aoi tssk-d. She pushed her hair behind here ears, then sat back down on the bed behind her.

"However," Reiji went on. "Any information you give us would open communications and help bring peace."

Aoi didn't answer to this.

"We don't need information that can damage them; just something to let us talk to them."

"Playmaker,"

Reiji raised an eyebrow. "I beg your parden?"

"Playmaker," Aoi repeated. "It's the name of my group's leader. Our group doesn't have a name; we don't need one."

"Go on."

"We're hackers and fighters, and he's the best hacker we know."

"I see," Reiji said quietly. "So this Playmaker, they would be able to hack us from another dimension?"

"I'm not sure, honestly," Aoi responded. "I'm not a hacker; I don't know a lot... a lot about all this... I just signed up to help people. I'm just muscle."

Aoi looked up to Reiji. "I can't tell you any more, though. I don't want to give you any information that could be used against us."

"Understood," Reiji said to her.

Reiji rose up fro his seat. He looked down at Aoi with his cool, neutral eyes. He showed no visible anger or remorse for Aoi's words, but his expression wasn't very comforting for her, either.

"You helped me enough," he told her. "We now have a name, so progress was made. Hopefully, we can use this to open up peaceful communication between our worlds."

Reij turned his back to Aoi, then started walking towards the door. But then, he stopped to look back to her.

"Thank you," he said to her. "And let me assure you, I will get you home as soon as I can."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Sorry for taking so long to make this chapter. To be honest, things have been a bit rough this year, and I haven't been able to devote a lot of time to this story. My dog actually died while I was writing this chapter. Which is pretty weird, since this arc was kicked off after the death of a pet. Neat coincidence though, huh?**_

 _ **But I still want to keep going and write as much as I can. Hopefully now I can get back on track and give you guys my all.**_

 _ **Next time: Fate pits Yugo and Rin against each other.**_


	55. Highway 406: Don't Stop, Keep on Rolling

_**Fun Fact: While Yuya's been having his misadventure in the Fusion Dimension, Yoko has found and adopted a mating pair of skunk apes. Lemon (the female) likes to be groomed, while Ade (the male) often gets into fights with Yoko's toucan.**_

 _ **Description: Yugo and Rin ride to survive.**_

* * *

Too bad Gongenzaka didn't have a bike. Otherwise, he could have chased Yugo down. But alas, running on foot was nothing compared to riding on a D-Wheel, and they lost sight of Yugo almost immediately after he left.

That didn't mean they couldn't keep running though. Gongenzaka was hot on the trail, while En sniffed the air for any scent of Yugo. So far, En had already lead them down four blocks and down a highway. Hopefully the dog knew what it was doing.

Now, nearly half an hour later, Gongenzaka and En had stopped by the side of a highway. They took their seats on the ground and watches as a few cars and motorcycles passed by; they were going down the highway, eventually taking the road up to the roads high above the city.

Gongenzaka looked to the dog. "Do you still smell Yugo?"

The dog looked to him and barked.

"I don't know what that means," Gongenzaka confessed.

Gongenzaka patted the dog's head. And together, they watched the vehicles pass them by. Soon, they would gain the strength to keep marching forward and keep searching for clues. But hopefully, they wouldn't be too late to save Yu-

 _"Hey, Gonny!"_

Well, look who was slowly driving up onto the scene. Crow, in his signature black D-Wheel, the _Blackbird_ , rode towards Gongenzaka and En. The closer the got, the more he slowed down, until he was eventually parked right in front of them.

The bike behind him was caught off-guard by the speed drop and halt. It swerved on by and passed him by, before losing control and crashing into a guard rail.

"What are you doing here, Gonny?" Crow asked his friend.

"Chasing after Yugo," Gongenzaka answered.

"Yugo?" Crow wondered. "He's... what? The Fusion Yuya?"

"Synchro Yuya, the banana-haired kid from the Friendship Cup."

"Oh, yeah. I think- I think I remember him," Crow lied.

"He took off after a loan shark, and we've been trying to find him."

Crow hung his head low. His expression darkened, though Gongenzaka and En couldn't see beyond his helmet's visor.

"Did you say _loan shark_?" Crow asked gravely.

"Yes," Gongenzaka confirmed.

"There are a few loan sharks in the poor part of town," Crow said. "Tops that take advantage of Commons in need..."

"Sounds like a serious problem."

"It was another tool used by the Tops to oppress us."

Crow turned his head away. "I thought those days would be over now."

"Do you know anything about one name Garome?"

Crow raised his head. "Garome?"

"The orphanage owes money to him," Gongenzaka explained. "Chojiro told me that he's a dangerous person."

"Oh, but he is."

Gongenzaka grabbed his pupper and rose up from his seat. He walked closer to Crow, who turned to look at him with weary eyes.

"What do you know about Garome?" Gongenzaka asked.

"Let's just say that we've crossed paths," Crow said to him. "I was hoping that he would have been run out business after the Friendship Cup. But I guess that would have been too much to hope for."

"I'm sorry..." Gongenzaka said quietly.

En stretched his head over to Crow. Curious, Crow held out a hand to the dog, slowly moving closer to him. When his fingers were in range, En repeatedly licked Crow's hands.

Crow smiled. "You're a good dog, huh?"

"He's helping me look for Yugo," Gongenzaka explained.

"I should help, too."

Crow slid up the back of his bike, then moved a hand back to pat the space behind him. To this, En let out a confused whimper and tilted his head.

"Hop on, Gonny," Crow told Gongenzaka.

"You can bring us to Yugo and Rin?" Gongenzaka gasped.

Crow shook his head. "Nah. Not yet at least. We need to go get someone fist."

"Who?"

"Someone powerful enough to fight Garome."

Gongenzaka nodded. He tucked En under one of his armpits, then climbed onto the back of the bike. He brought En into his lap and held the dog with one hand, and held onto Crow's waist with another. Once they were all safe and secure, Crow started to ride.

* * *

The underground duel stadium was full of life. Now, people were filling the seats around the duel track, eager to watch the upcoming duel. It was short notice, but when they saw Rin and Yugo park themselves on the starting line, everybody was ready to witness something exciting.

Yugo and Rin were recognized on sight. Though they wore their helmets now, and Yugo rode a different bike, people could just tell who these two duelists were: the people who fought to protect the city, their dimension, _every_ dimension. They both competed in the Friendship Cup and dazzled the audience during their fights. And one of them was the current Duel King himself.

 _So can we agree to work together?_ Rin asked.

 _I think Yugo has the right of way, challenging Garome,_ Serena told her.

 _I mean, he's pretty much guaranteed to win against all those random duelists,_ Ruri said. _Seemed like Garome thought we were one of his best talents, and I doubt there'd be a lot of duelists with talent to match a pro here. In this dank, gross underground stadium._

 _Well, I'm in,_ Yuzu said.

 _Why?_ Serena asked.

 _To protect the boys,_ Yuzu said simply. _Garome's a schemer. Even if they boys won, making them oppose Garome would put a target on their back. Backs?_

 _One back,_ Ruri explained. _One body, one back._

 _Yeah,_ Yuzu agreed. _If people are so dependent on him, maybe he can make them do... really bad things. What if he puts a hit out them or something?_

 _That's grim, Yuzu._

 _It's a possibility._

 _You have a point,_ Ruri sighed. _I'm in. Serena, what about you?_

 _I think Yugo and the others can take care of themselves,_ Serena insisted.

 _Yeah, but if we lose, Yuri's not going to let me hear the end of it,_ Rin said.

Serena put a hand to her chin. _Beating Yuri and the others would be fun. But still..._

 _I bet the boys don't have this much resistance between them,_ Rin said, pouting. _They're probably working way better than us right now._

* * *

Deep in the mindscape of the Yu boys, things were not working out way better.

Together, their minds unified to create one image. The boys now sat in an imagined version of their bedroom. Yuri was sitting on a chair by their desk; Yuya sat on the floor, crossing his legs; Yuto stood, leaning his back against the window sill; and Yugo sat on the bed. Everyone's eyes were on him.

Yuri put a hand to his chin. _I could help. COULD help. COOOULD. I don't WANT to, but I COULD-_

 _Shut up and help me,_ Yugo thought-growled.

Yuri egao'd. _Fine. I'll help my baby brother. But only because I want Rin to lose._

 _Thanks, Yuri._

 _And because you're so cute._

 _Thanks, Yuri._

 _I'm with you on this, Yugo,_ Yuya said. _And I'll be with you all the way, okay? We're going to help those kids._

 _I knew I could count on you!_ Yugo said. He was grinning broadly as he said this. _Yuto, you in?_

 _I'm not sure,_ Yuto admitted.

Cue groans and moans from the other three brothers.

 _What?_ Yuto grumbled.

 _I love ya, man,_ Yugo said. _But seriously, why do you always have to be the one wet blanket?_

 _I'm not a wet blanket!_ Yuto protested. _Yuya?_

 _I mean..._ Yuya grumbled.

 _What? What is it?_

 _Whenever it comes down to a decision, you're always either super cautious. Plus you're prone to anger sometimes, like when you wanted to lash out at Edo during out duel-_

 _Yuto hates fun,_ Yuri said.

Yuto narrowed his eyes and squinted at his brothers. _You can't throw Edo against me; that was a long time ago. Everyone I cared about was dead! And-_

 _Look, are you going to help or not?_ Yuri asked. _The duel's going to start soon._

 _Decide later,_ Yugo said. _I gotta go and focus on the duel now._

* * *

Yugo snapped back to the waking world. By now, more of an audience had gathered. Rin, who was parked right beside him, let out a long, hushed sigh.

"Were you talking to your sisters just now?" Yugo asked her.

"Yep," Rin responded. "How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess," Yugo said with a smirk.

 _Tell Yuzu I said hi,_ Yuya said.

"Yuya says hi, Yuzu."

 _Tell Yuya I said hi,_ Yuzu said.

"Yuzu says hi, Yuya," Rin said. "Yugo, are you ready to-"

Rin's words were interrupted by the sound of static. The sound of a finger tapping could be heard on the speakers, though the source of the tapping was unseen. The tapping was small, and could barely be heard over the discussions amongst the members of the audience.

Garome's voice filled the stadium, _"Everybody, shut the hell up!"_

At once, people in the audience shut the hell up. Yugo and Rin both snapped to attention.

 _"Tonight, we have an amazing battle ahead of us!"_ the man continued. _"On the inside of the track, a duelist I personally picked myself. She not only defeated one of my strongest duelists, but you might also recognize her as one of the Lancers from the last Friendship Cup!"_

Rin noticed that Garome neglected to mention her name. But the audience didn't seem to care; this vague description of her was enough to drive the audience into whoops, hollers and applause.

 _"And her opponent? None other than the current Duel King himself... You Your Sock Hockey!"_

He didn't know Yugo's name, either. Or Yuya's. But once again, the audience was eating it up. They were screaming now, cheering and shouting like crazy. A few people jumped out of their seats, and some were running down the aisles and tripping onto other people.

Yugo was waving to the audience, soaking in the attention. Though was this really Yugo? She would have expected him to be waving both arms and yelling back at the audience, rather than keep himself dignified. Maybe Yuya was giving him tips.

Garome was back on the air now. _"To celebrate this momentous occasion, we're going to be doing something different tonight: the 777 Challenge!"_

Cue more audience cheering. Apparently, this challenge seemed to be a big, impressive thing for them.

Yugo, realizing that he wasn't the thing they were cheering for, stopped waving and sheepishly returned his hands to his bike. He looked briefly to Rin, then turned his head straight ahead at the track. Dramatic and cool.

 _"For those who don't know, the 777 Challenge is a Riding Duel with new rules. Duelists start with 7 cards and 7000 Life Points, and they will have their own, unique rule that they must not break. If they do, they lose 700 Life Points each time they break that rule."_

Yugo looked to Rin again. "Did you know about this?"

And Rin looked to him. "No! Honestly, I'm just as lost as you are."

Garome went on, _"If the boy says the girl's name, he's breaking his rule. And if the girl swears, she beaks hers."_

"That's devious!" Rin gasped. "This is weighed against Yugo."

"How do you figure?" Yugo asked her.

"Because you love saying my name, and I don't swear because I'm well-behaved."

"I don't love saying your name, Rin," Yugo scoffed. "And you swear all the time."

"Not a lot."

"You were swearing like 10 minutes ago, when I went into that room."

Rin frowned. "You rode your bike through the office, you ass. And if you're going to talk shit, I just might ride my bike through your face."

"Point taken," Yugo said hastily.

 _"Now everybody, shut the hell up again!"_ Garome shouted. _"Because it's time to duel!"_

At once, Rin and Yugo straightened their backs, aligned themselves on their bikes, and kept their feet to the sides. It was instinctual for them: the second they knew a duel was coming, they made themselves ready.

Their screen's lit up. Their Life Points, Speed Counters, and a dueling field were broadcast before them. In the middle of their screens was a countdown, starting from 1:00. One minute.

The number was dropping down quickly. But when you're anxious for what's to come, every second of waiting felt like an eternity.

 _Forty seconds._

For the two audience, it was merely a tedious wait. For Yugo and Rin, it was way too long.

 _Thirty-five seconds._

They didn't want to duel each other. And honestly, they were even less eager to find out what would happen after their duel. No matter the outcome, it wouldn't be fun.

 _Twenty-two seconds._

Rin bit her lip. Her mind was heavy with guilt now. She couldn't allow herself to fail. Doing so would keep Yugo out of her reach, and put him at risk of being hurt. She needed to protect him.

Luckily, her sisters were beside her. Even though Serena didn't agree with her, she could feel her, along with Yuzu and Ruri, riding along with her. She could feel their love and support, but also their worry and fear.

 _Fifteen seconds._

Yugo was tapping his feet against the side of his bike. He was anxious, sure. But he was determined. His mind was made up, and all his thoughts were focused on the duel, and the kids, and Martha. He liked Rin. He _loved_ her. But no way in hell was he going to let her stop him from doing what he knew was right.

His brothers were with him, ride or die. Yuto was still unsure about helping him, but he knew that his brother would never let him be hurt. He could feel his protective spirit around him. And he could feel Yuya's cheerful energy, motivating him to go forward, to never back down. And he could feel Yuri's raw, intense... sexual energy for some reason. _God damn it, Yuri._

 _I'm keeping your spirits up, Yugo!_ Yuri giggled.

 _Yuri, I swear I'll... Wait, you said my name right!_

 _Eh?_ Yuri grumbled. _I guess I did... Damn, now I'm embarrassed. I shouldn't have let my guard down!_

Yugo egao'd. He did feel a little better now.

 _Thanks, Yuri,_ he said to his brother.

A few seconds left. Yugo and Rin were ready to go. The audience was silent, watching and waiting for an explosive start to what would be an amazing match.

 _Three. Two. One._

 _"Riding..."_ an announcer cried out.

 _ **"DUEL!"**_

* * *

 **Yugo: 1 Speed Counter**

 **Rin: 1 Speed Counter**

Yugo rode ahead of Rin, riding faster and moving in front of her. He drew seven cards from his deck, then placed them in a holster on his Duel Disk.

Yugo lifted up two cards from his hand. "With my Scale 3 Speedroid Passinglider, and my Scale 8 Speedroid Dominobutterfly, I set the Pendulum Scales!"

From either side of Yugo's bike, columns of blue light rose to the sky. They carried up two mechanical toy monsters, who in turn displayed their Scales underneath them.

"Now, I use Speedroid Passinglider's effect!" Yugo declared. "Once per turn, I can send a Speedroid Tuner from my hand or field to the Graveyard. Passinglider's Pendulum Scale's increased or decreased by that monster's Level, until the end of the turn."

Yugo pulled a card from his hand and dropped it into his Graveyard. At this time, the number underneath Passinglider went from a 3 to a 2.

"Pendulum?" Rin mused. "Should have seen that coming, honestly."

"No Pendulum Summoning this turn, though," Yugo said. "Next, I summon Speedroid Double Yoyo."

Yugo placed a card on the Disk in front of him. A strange machine appeared by his right side. It was gray, and had three outlets at the front, giving something of a face. On either side of it were green wheels with sharp, serrated blades around them. **(ATK 1400)**

"When Double Yoyo is Normal Summoned, it can Special Summon a Level 3 or lower Speedroid monster from my Graveyard."

Yugo was riding on ahead. But now, a portal opened up behind him. A Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice was now trailing behind him. **(ATK 0)**

"Next, when Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice is summoned, I can change its Level."

The monster spun around on one of its corners. It jumped into the air, and its front face spun around, until the side with three dots was facing forward. **(LV 1 → 3)**

"Come on!" Yugo bellowed. "I tune my Level 4 Speedroid Double Yoyo with my Level 3 Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice!"

Yadda yadda, green rings, level stars, chanting. Clear Wing Synchro Dragon was summoned, and you were spared 4 paragraphs of padding. **(ATK 2500)**

Yugo held up two cards. "I'll set two cards, then end my turn."

With one card left in his hand, Yugo continued to ride forward, with Clear Wing and two face-down Spell/Trap cards in tow. His Pendulum Scales flew above him. His Life Points remained at 7000.

* * *

 **Yugo: 2 Speed Counters**

 **Rin: 2 Speed Counters**

As her turn began, Rin drew her next card. She now sported eight cards at her disposal, and she was closing the distance between her, Yugo and Clear Wing.

 _Clear Wing's one of Yugo's greatest cards,_ Rin thought. _Its effect could end this duel in a heartbeat. I'll need all the help I can get if I want to beat it._

"Nice use of Pendulums," Rin said aloud. "I'll follow suit by setting my Scale 2 Windwitch - East Wind, and my Scale 5 Windwitch - South Wind from my hand."

From either side of Rin's D-Wheel, columns of blue light rose up to the sky. They carried two witches, each riding broomsticks, along with the Pendulum Scales underneath them. East Wind, notably, had long, auburn hair, which ran down the back of her pale-yellow dress, until it reached her knees.

"South Wind's effect lets me add one Windwitch monster from my deck to my hand."

A card was ejected near the bottom of the deck. Rin pulled the card up and revealed her Windwitch - Snowball, then added it to her hand.

"Next, I activate the Continuous Spell, Speed Relay!"

Rin placed a card on her field, and a large version of it materialized behind her. It depicted two D-Wheeling duelists, racing against each other on a road and facing the foreground.

"During each of my opponent's turns, I gain an extra Speed Counter," Rin explained. "And since you don't know, Speed Counters-"

"I know what a Speed Counter is," Yugo told her.

"... What?"

"I like to keep track of riding news in the Synchro Dimension. This has been one of the biggest stories of the year."

Rin blushed. "O-Oh... Well, I was just checking."

Rin bit her lip. So Yugo knew this, and she didn't? Not that she thought Yugo was an idiot or anything. He was smart! Sort of. She just didn't... expect him to know about something she didn't. She was sort of unused to that, really.

But no time to worry! She straightened out her back, revved up her bike, and continued to push on forward. Now was the time to give Yugo her all, and to show him that she was going to fight to the fullest to protect him.

 _Just as he did for me_ , was an errant thought she had at that moment. One that she didn't really dwell on, or fully realize. Because right then, her focus was all on kicking Yugo's ass.

"If I control no monsters, I can Special Summon Windwitch - Ice bell from my hand," Rin said. "Then, I can Special Summon another Windwitch monster from my deck."

Rin threw down a card, summoning forth Windwitch Ice Bell. The monster flew alongside her, a trail of cold, blue wind behind her. **(ATK 1000)**

With a wave of her wand, Ice Bell brought forth another witch, now on Rin's other side. Windwtich - Glass Bell materialized and flew alongside the other women. **(ATK 1500)**

"When Glass Bell is summoned, I can add a Windwitch monster from my deck to my hand," Rin explained.

A card was ejected from the very top of Rin's deck. She pulled it up and placed her new Windwitch - Snow Bell in her hand.

"... And when Ice Bell is summoned, I can inflict 500 points of damage to my opponent."

Ice Bell waved her wand, then aimed it forward. A frosty, snowflake-filled breeze poured out from her want and ran down the track, towards Yugo.

Yugo turned a corner, but the cold wind followed him. It would soon brush against the back of him and his vehicle, sending a chill throughout his body. But Yugo remained collected and steadfast, despite the cold shoulder. (Haha get it?) **(Yugo: 7000 → 6500)**

Rin closed her eyes and let herself fall into deep thought. She was thinking over the board before her: activating effects to target Clear Wing would just make the dragon stronger. She couldn't activate the effects of Level 5 or higher monsters. The easiest way to fight it would to simply overpower it. But those face-down cards probably had an answer to that...

 _Maybe you_ want _your monsters destroyed,_ Yuzu said to her.

 _What?_ Rin asked skeptically.

 _Let's plan ahead!_ Yuzu said happily. _Look at your Pendulum Scales. We can't activate South Wind's effect any more, can we?_

Rin looked down at the cards in front of her. _... So we use East Wind's effect!_

 _That's not all!_

 _Oh, right! We can use their monster effects too, right?_

 _Right._

Rin egao'd, baring her teeth. _Thanks, Yuzu! I have an idea now._

Rin could feel a hand on her right shoulder. She didn't have to look back or ask questions, she just knew that this was Yuzu, reaching out to her, supporting her. They were going to do this together.

"I tune my Level three Windwitch - Ice Bell with my Level 4 Windwitch - Glass Bell!"

The two witches flew forward. Glass Bell became the four green rings, and the one Ice Bell became four Level stars. Everything swirled together and created a light that shone before the duelists.

"Midwinter wind. Make ice and snow my power and blow through!" Rin chanted. "Synchro Summon! Level 7, Windwitch - Winter Bell!"

The light spread its wings and became a flying... airplane lady with chest-bongos. **(ATK 2400)**

 _"Rin matches the challenger with her own Synchro monster!"_ came the voice of an announcer. _"But can it be enough to conquer Clear Wing? It's ATK leaves something to be desired!"_

"Its ATK isn't important," Rin said. "Winter Bell's effect: I can target a Windwitch monster in my Graveyard, then inflict damage to you equal to that target's Level, multiplied by 200."

"That won't happen!" Yugo declared. "When a Level 5 or higher monster activates its effect on the field, I can negate the effect and destroy the monster."

Clear Wing spread its wings. Light shone through them like a prism, and the light filtered through its wings tilted towards Winter Bell. Winter Bell was immediately overcome by the light, filled and overwhelmed until its body was completely hidden. With a bright flash, the light was gone, and an explosion before Rin hinted at her monster's demise.

"... Clear Wing then gains that monster's ATK, until the end of the turn." **(Clear Wing ATK 2500 → 4900)**

The audience erupted into various emotions. Many people cheered, while many others gasped, or started to yell. Some people complained, while others cheered for Rin to fight back. A few people even cast some insulting comments towards her, or Yugo, or even Clear Wing or Winter Bell.

Clear Wing looked back to Yugo. Its expression didn't change, but Yugo could clearly understand the emotion his monster was trying to convey to him.

"Ignore them," Yugo said to his monster. "You were great, buddy."

With that remark, Clear Wing looked straight ahead and let out a loud, ear-piercing scream. Now, it was satisfied with its work.

Both Yuzu and Rin shivered. It was instinctual, really. They - and only _they_ \- were briefly filled with a sense of dread and worry. But with a shake of Rin's head, she dismissed the negative thoughts.

Instead, she focused on her field, and the cards in her hands. And on Yuzu's encouraging words. And on her own knowledge of Synchro Summoning. The board was a map, and she had the skills to navigate a path that would lead her straight ahead.

It was what Littleduelist said in _Game of Thrones, but with Duel Monsters_ : Synchros are a ladder.

"I see it, guys!" Rin announced to the world.

Yugo looked across his shoulder, over to Rin.

"In my mind, I see the path to victory!" the girl went on. "Windwitch - East Wind's Pendulum effect: it can destroy it and another Windwitch card in my Pendulum Zone; then, I can add a Windwitch monster from my deck to my hand."

A blustering, green wind rose up from beneath Rin's D-Wheel. The moment it reached the witchy women, they shattered, and the columns of light faded from sight.

Rin pulled out the card that was ejected from the middle of her deck. She added her Windwitch - North Wind to her hand, giving her eight cards at her disposal.

"When Windwitch - South Wind is destroyed, I can revive a WIND Windwitch Synchro monster from my Graveyard. Cold Necromancy!"

A trail of ice and snow started to bluster out from behind Rin. The material clustered together, and the stormy winds shaped it into Windwitch - Winter Bell. **(ATK 2400)**

"And when East Wind is destroyed, I can revive a Windwitch Tuner monster from my Graveyard! Storming Revival!"

Strong winds rose from the ground. Now trailing beside Winter Bell was Windwitch - Glass Bell. **(ATK 1500)**

Rin and her monsters trailed after Yugo, moving closer and closer to him and Clear Wing. In response, Yugo revved his bike and drove faster, creating more distance between him and Rin.

 _What's she planning?_ Yuya wondered.

 _Rin's vicious when she duels,_ Yugo informed his brother. _She's planning something._

 _But couldn't she just have Synchro Summoned with Winter Bell and Snow Bell?_

 _Maybe, yeah,_ Yugo answered. _But I know Rin. She's not going for a simple solution. Whatever she's planning, it's going to be big._

"I activate Weather Doll's effect!" Rin announced: I can reduce the Level of a Level 4 or higher WIND monster by up to three Levels, then Special Summon this card from my hand."

Four Level Stars appeared over Glass Bell's head. Three of them shattered, and the last one vanished. **(LV 4 → 2)** Beside the monster as a ghostly-white sheet, a teru teru bozu. **(ATK 1300)**

Rin threw her arm forward. "Onward! I tune my Level 3 Weather Doll and my Level 2 Windwitch - Glass Bell!"

The witch became rings and the doll became orbs. They danced together, clustering together to create a new entity.

"Strong winds call for strong power! Become the breeze that lifts our wings!"

The monster was an industrial fan, trapped in a boxy frame. It had thin metal limbs, with three-fingered hands and two-toed feet. At the top was a small, bulbous orb, almost like a diminutive head for the creature.

"Synchro Summon! Level 5, Wind Turbine!" **(ATK 1400)**

The audience roared as Rin's two monsters trailed behind her. Now all the jeers became cheers, and their screams filled the underground stadium. A spotlight fell on Rin and her monsters, and the lights outside of that were dimmed. Right now, everyone was focused on Rin.

 _"Another successful Synchro Summon!"_ the announcer screeched excitedly. _"And- and- and- we all know what's coming next!"_

 _What's coming next?_ Yuri asked.

 _Check Wind Turbine's card, on the screen,_ Yuya told him.

Through Yuri's eyes, he could see the board. He could see Wind Turbine's card displayed on his dashboard screen. And as he read the card, he could understand why everyone was hyped up.

 _It's a Tuner,_ Yuri said.

 _She's going to Synchro Summon something very strong,_ Yugo explained.

 _What will she summon?_ Yuya asked.

 _I don't know. I didn't even know she had any Level 12 Synchro monsters._

Meanwhile, the audience was cheering for Rin. Together, they formed a chant to drive up their hype. "SYN! CHRO! SUM! MON! SYN! CHRO! SUM! MON!"

Rin and Yuzu egao'd. "We'll give you all a good show!"

The cries grew louder and louder, until the voices reaches as hard as they could. They soon devolved into simple screams of excitement and energy, and furious applause.

Rin could feel it: something deep and primordial inside of her. She could feel her sisters pour their strength into her. She could feel her own strength boiling over her. And could feel the excitement in the air, the adrenaline the wind carried. Most of all, she could feel something in her monsters, and in her Extra Deck, reaching out to her. It wanted to be free.

But at the same time, she felt Yuzu. Yuzu was feeling the exact same rush she did, and she knew. Right now, they were perfectly in tune. They, who had been working together this duel, were now of shared mind. A clear mind, where the struggles of one were shared by the other. Perfect harmony.

Perfect synchronicity.

 **"We tune our Level 7 Windwitch - Winter Bell with our Level 5 Wind Turbine."**

They moved in unison. They spoke in unison. They shared the one body in unison. It was as if they were one being.

 **"The goddess of midwinter."**

Wind Turbine gave way to five rings that expanded over Rin and Winter Bell. Winter Bell became a strong wind that completely engulfed Rin and the rings. And instantly, Rin vanished. She was gone.

 **"Nature's gift of cold breathes new life into your frozen petals."**

A forceful, howling breeze flew behind Yugo, blowing past him. His bike started to waver and swerve. He had to struggle and force himself to keep control of his vehicle, to not let the wind blow him away.

 **"Oh Superior Queen, take rule over your domain, and liberate those you hold dear!"**

Rin was now further down the field, and turning a corner. She was now way ahead of Yugo on the field, but now lacked her monsters.

She held up a card. **"Accel Synchro!"**

"Accel _what?!_ " Yugo gasped.

A monster materialized above Rin. It was an enormous, pale blue-skinned woman, like Winter Bell. Her lower half gave way to a flowing, beautiful dress of blue; the underside consisting of near-infinite white ruffles, giving Yugo the illusion of white rose petals.

The monster wore the headpiece of Winter Bell, but the back had broken off. The monster's back featured shoulder-length purple hair, and two long pants ran down the sides of her face. Her eyes and face were more human. Familiar, it looked like Rin. Or, more specifically, it looked like _Ray_. **(ATK 3700)**

 **"Level 12, The Superior Queen of Ice! Windwitch - Melodious Bell!"**

There was a stunned silence in the air. The audience was completely stunned by the beautiful creature before them. But none of them could take their eyes off of it. They could feel, they could _tell_ , that this monster was dripping with power.

Rin slumped forward, then let out a long, tired sigh. The adrenaline and passion had now left her body, leaving her with exhaustion. Though she could still ride and concentrate on the world around her, she no longer had the power that fueled her. She only had herself and Yuzu, and the power of their other sisters.

Clear Wing let out a furious roar. Though this cry might be indistinguishable from its previous vocalizations, Yugo could understand his monster clearly. Its heart was full of hatred and anger now. And fear. It was giving Yugo a message. No, a _warning_. Clear Wing was worried about him.

Yugo felt his heart beat wildly in his chest. Sweat was dripping down his face. Though he kept his expression stiff and unchanging, he started to share the anxiety his monster had for him.

 _Don't give in, Yugo,_ came Yuya's voice.

Yugo blinked. _I- I... What...?_

 _It feels like Clear Wing still harbors some fear for Ray,_ Yuya said.

Yugo looked up to his monster. It was already looking down at him with a nervously unevan expression. Its eyes were pleading with him.

 _I see what you mean, Yuya,_ Yugo said.

 _Don't share that fear, Yugo. Help Clear Wing to overcome its fear. Support it._

 _I will._

"Clear Wing!" Yugo shouted to his monster. "Don't worry, buddy! We can still win this!"

The dragon let out a softer roar this time. It gave Yugo an uneasy egao and turned its face

 **"Yugo!"** Rin announced.

"Rin?" Yugo gasped.

 **(Yugo: 6500 → 5800)**

"Fuck."

 **"We're going all-out,"** Rin said. Her voice was tired, but full of conviction. **"We know how strong you are. That is why we're going to do everything we can to defeat you."**

"I'll never let you win!" Yugo roared.

 **"You cannot win!"** the girl answered in kind. **"Windwitch - Melodious Bell's effect: when it is summoned, it gains half the original ATK of any monster on the field, besides itself. "**

Melodious Bell turned around and opened her arms. A thin, bluish glow outlined Clear Wing The glow grew stronger and brighter with each passing second, becoming more intense and vibrant, threatening to completely hide the dragon in its light.

 **"Ice Queen's Touch!"**

"Clear Wing's effect!" Yugo declared. "Dichroic Mirro-"

 **"Useless!"** Rin replied. **"Windwitch - Melodious Bell is not affected by our opponent's card effects. Clear Wing cannot destroy our monster."**

The glow then left Clear Wing and jumped into Melodious Bell's arms, and the latter embraced it in a hug. As soon as it was trapped by those arms, the glow shattered, and Melodious Bell grew stronger. **(ATK 3700 → 4950)**

Yugo's jaw dropped. "Clear Wing, I...!"

Rin turned her head to look at Yugo. **"Now I summon Windwitch - Squall Bell!"**

Rin placed a card down. A monster materialized onto the field behind her. Floating on a broomstick was a rather large, chubby witch with long, curly, blue hair. Her face was round and her dress was tight, but her body was curvy and appealing, much like her egao. **(ATK 1400)**

 **"When we control two or more WIND monsters, we can Special Summon Windwitch - Snow Bell from our hand."**

A third played now materialized onto Rin's side of the field. Behind her was a large, glass ball. Its body was primarily white, with gold trimming and blue gems. It featured a golden, crown-like object on top, which had its own crown-wearing gem. Angelic wings sprung from the crown-like object, allowing the monster to fly alongside the witches. **(ATK 100)**

 **"We tune my Level 4 Squall Bell with our Level 1 Snow Bell."**

Snow Bell became a ring, and Squall Bell became the orbs that danced between them. They joined together and dashed ahead of Rin and Melodious Bell.

 **"Synchro Summon! Level 5, Windwitch - Cold Bell!"**

Now floating before Rin was a smaller, less sophisticated version of Winter Bell. It was a monster with a blocky, lumpy body and thick legs. Its wings were now hands, and its fins and armor were smaller, less developed. Its eyes were bigger, and its body had less of a shine to it. **(ATK 2100)**

Yugo grunted. "You're going on the offensive right away."

 **"We'll do whatever it takes to protect you,"** Rin said. **"Battle Phase! Windwitch - Melodious Bell attacks-"**

 _"STOP!"_ Yugo cried out.

Rin jumped up in her seat. She blinked, and she could feel her mind lose focus on the world around her. Something inside of her started to waver, and she could feel her connection with Yuzu interrupted. Rin's lack of concentration broke the connection, it seemed.

Melodious Bell stayed in its place, riding down the track with Rin. It remained still. The audience started to murmur and talk amongst themselves. Nothing too loud, but it was clear that many people were growing confused with the halt. A few more seemed to be unhappy with the waiting.

"Wh-what is it?" she mumbled.

"I won't let you destroy Clear Wing!" Yugo cried. His voice was passionate, but the volume also made his voice sound a bit strained.

"Yugo?" Rin asked.

"I won't let you destroy Clear Wing," Yugo said again. "Clear Wing is scared of you right now."

Rin frowned. "What do you mean? What's going on?"

Yugo looked up to his monster. "Clear Wing, I'm going to protect you."

Clear Wing turned to Yugo. Their eyes met, and they shared a moment of silence between them. Once again, they didn't need words to communicate their thoughts to the other.

 _"What's this?!" the announcer screeched. "What is going on here?!"_

"Yugo, I need to attack," Rin said. "You can't protect Clear Wing."

"Like hell I can't!" Yugo declared. "Trap activate! Speed De-Synch!"

A face-down card appeared to Yugo's left. It rose up, revealing the front of a Trap card. The artwork looked like that of De-Synchro, but the blue of the card was green, and the it depicted a smoky image of a dragon, being ripped into two shapeless blobs. Seven red stars dotted various parts of the portrait.

"I can target one Synchro Monster anywhere on the field and return it the Extra Deck," Yugo explained. "Then, I can Special Summon all of the monsters that were used for the Synchro Summon, from the Graveyard."

"So you'll get rid of Melodious Bell?" Rin asked. "Yugo, don't be dumb. Melodious Bell isn't affected by-"

"Melodious Bell is not my target!" Yugo yelled. "I return Clear Wing to my Extra Deck, then Special Summon the monsters used to summon it!"

Yugo nodded to Clear Wing. The dragon nodded back, then dissolved into a large mass of white light. The light broke off and became Speedroids Red-Eyed Dice **(DEF 100)** and Double Yoyo. **(DEF 1400)**

"Then the controller of that monster draws a card."

Okay, even Rin had to admit, that move was pretty hella.

Yugo smirked triumphantly. "Now you can't touch Clear Wing."

Rin shook her head. "Well, at least your Life Points are safe."

" _And_ I protected someone I care about!"

"Whatever..." Rin grumbled.

Though admittedly, she had to egao at that. He was such a softie sometimes. But Yugo was kind of endearing because of it.

But that's why she had to win. He was a softie, too easily ruled by his emotions. He was going to fall into Garome's web because of his heart. That's why Rin had to stop him.

She sighed. "Windwitch - Melodious Bell attacks Speedroid Double Yoyo."

Melodious Bell spread her arms once more. This time, an aurora poured from her chest and onto the field. The light fell down on Double Yoyo, and the monster was surrounded by it. But soon the light faded, and Double Yoyo did too; it made no sound and left no presence; it simply vanished quietly.

Her head was pounding, and she was tired. "Windwitch - Cold Bell attacks Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice."

Red-Eyed Dice's destruction was less quiet. Cold Bell slammed her body into the monster, taking it out in a fiery explosion that left Yugo's field almost completely clear.

"I set a card and end my turn," Rin concluded.

With the placing of a card, Rin's turn was complete. Rin ended her turn with her Windwitch Synchros and a face-down Spell or Trap card on her side of the field. She had three cards in her hand, and a full 7000 Life Points.

The audience was cheering out again. The announcer was screaming Rin's name and praising her moves. Some people were demanding more from Yugo, expressing their belief in him. The applause, the screams, the boos, the jeers, it filled the stadium.

But it didn't break through to Rin. If anything, it just gave her more of a headache. She didn't really care about the audience's opinions now; she was focused entirely on this match. And on Yugo.

 _I really am like a mother to him,_ she thought to herself, almost chuckling as she imagined it. _It's my responsibility to keep the little jerk out of trouble._

 _You sound like Yugo,_ said Serena.

Rin furrowed her brow. _Not now, Serena._

She could almost _feel_ Serena egao-ing as she spoke. _He wants to do what you're doing right now. Is that wrong?_

 _Bite me, Serena,_ Rin said, sighing internally. _I'm tired._

* * *

 **Yugo: 3 Speed Counters**

 **Rin: 4 Speed Counters**

The audience cheered them on as Yugo and Rin turned yet another corner. With Yugo's next draw, he had three cards in his hand. And it was at this time that he was aware of the differences in playstyle between him and Rin: he was less conservative with his cards, and it was biting him in the ass now.

 _We'll do this together,_ Yuya said.

 _We got you, fam,_ Yuri said to him.

 _Thanks,_ Yugo said in return.

 _You're welcome, hunty._

 _... Did you guys notice anything strange about Rin?_ Yuto asked.

 _"WHAT WILL THE DUEL KING DO NEXT?!"_ the announcer screamed. _"What's with the HOLDUP?!"_

 _She felt like Ray,_ Yuya said.

 _What?_ Yugo questioned. _Clear Wing was scared of Ray, but..._

 _I recognized Ray's power,_ Yuya insisted. _And Clear Wing did, too. We'll need to work together if we want to win._

 _Or we can put me in charge of the body,_ Yuri offered.

 _No,_ Yugo said flatly.

 _I guess we're fine with letting Third Place Boy dueling,_ Yuri said mockingly, and with a grin.

Yugo his head up and scanned the audience. _Enough bitching. Now's the time to duel._

"I activate the Spell, Cup of Ace!" Yugo declared.

Yugo slammed down a card, and the image of a large golden chalice materialzed before him.

Rin sighed. "Gonna play risky _now_ , of all times? You're such a ki-"

"I toss a coin," Yugo interjected. Rin looked back. She saw the cup rise up into the air, then change its shape. Now a gold coin, it spun around in the air above them.

"If it's heads, I draw two cards. If tails, you draw two cards."

The coin stopped spinning. Silence took over the room. Everybody watched as the coin started to fall downward, towards the field.

Yugo closed his eyes. He could feel his brothers all around him. He could tell what they were feeling: they were all anxious for the results. All of them, even Yuto, wanted the same result.

Rin and her sisters watched on. They could tell what the others were feeling: they were all anxious for the results. All of them, even Serena, wanted the same result.

The coin landed behind Yugo, and floated behind him on the track. The image it displayed was of Yugo's own head, made of solid gold.

The coin disintegrated into sparkles, and the audience cheered. Yugo, egao-ing triumphantly, pulled the top two cards out of his deck and added them to his hand. He now had four cards.

"... Fuck," Rin muttered. "No wait, shit! I didn't mean to swea-"

 **(Rin: 7000** **→ 6300 → 5600)**

"... Ugh."

"Get ready, Riiiiiiiiii..." Yugo had to stop himself there. " _Rimba Racer!_ Because if I control no monsters, I can Special Summon Speedroid Terrortop from my hand!"

A spinning top materialized on the field before Yugo. And more spinning tops appeared behind it. And more, and more, forming a long tail of tops for the big top. It was terror-fying. **(ATK 1200)**

"When Terrortop is summoned, I can add a Speedroid monster from my deck to my hand."

A card was ejected from the deck. Yugo grabbed it and presented his card to his opponent. But rather than adding it to his hand, he slammed it onto his Disk.

"If I control a WIND monster, I can Special Summon Speedroid Taketomborg from my hand!"

Speedroid Taketomborg materialized on the field, to the left of Terrortop. It first took the form of a large taketombo. But it unfolded its body and transformed into a more robotic, humanoid appearance. **(DEF 1200)**

The audience was again cheering. The announcer was saying something. Maybe Rin was saying something, too. But right now, Yugo was in the zone. All his attention was on this duel and the paths set before him. Everything was filtered out. It wasn't important now.

He looked at the cards in his hand. _What can I do here? Yuya?_

Yuya appeared over his shoulder, looking at the cards before him.

 _Summon it,_ Yuya told him.

 _You sure?_

Yuya nodded and egao'd. _We've got your back on this one._

 _Okay!_

"I summon Performapal Secondonkey from my hand!"

A donkey materialized onto Yugo's side of the field, to the right of Speedroid Terrortop. The donkey egao'd. That's it. **(ATK 1000)**

A quiet _"What..."_ could he heard from the announcer. Not that Yugo or Yuya cared n the slightest.

"When this card is summoned, and I have two cards in my Pendulum Zones..." Yugo explained. "I can add a Performapal monster from my deck to my hand."

Again, a card was ejected from Yugo's deck. Now he added his Speedroid Performapal Performonkey to his hand, giving him three cards.

"Something tells me you're not finished with your turn," Rin commented.

Yugo nodded. "I see the path to victory, too. And it involves Pendulum Summoning!"

"What?!"

Yugo threw up a hand - his hand-hand, not his card-hand. "With the Pendulum Scales I've already set, I Pendulum Summon!"

A pendulum appeared in the sky above. It spun in an arc, leaving a trail of light as it moved. A beam of light crashed down to the field, bringing down a cymbal-banging robot monkey in a bow-tie. **(ATK 1000)** It took its place right next to Speedroid Taketomborg.

"I've summoned Speedroid Performapal Performonkey!" Yugo bellowed. "And when Performonkey is summoned, I can add a Speedroid or Performapal monster from my Graveyard to my hand."

Yoink! Double Yoyo's card was ejected from the Graveyard slot, and Yugo added it to his hand. With three cards on hand, he gave himself a little breathing room.

Everyone's eyes were drawn to his field. Yugo, whose turn had just begun, brought forth a field of four monsters.

"The fun's just beginning, everyone!" Yugo announced.

 _The fun has just begun_ , Yuya corrected.

"What Yuya said!" Yugo agreed. "I overlay my Level 4 Performonkey and Secondonkey!"

Nothing happened.

"I overlay!" Yugo said again.

Again, nothing happened.

"What's happening?"

The ghostly image of Dark Rebellion appeared to Yugo's right. The sudden appearance nearly startled Yugo out of his seat. Luckily though, he was holding onto his handles, keeping him securely on his bike.

The dragon looked down to Yugo. Its expression seemed angry, honestly. And it let out a low, hissing growl at the boy.

Yuto appeared beside Yugo, flying right beside the bike, flying like Superman. The strange sight almost made Yugo laugh. Scratch that - it made him snort as he stifled a laugh.

But he couldn't help _but_ laugh when Dark Rebellion put an arm around Yuto and hugged him. Luckily for Yugo though, Yuto and Dark Rebellion seemed to ignore this.

 _Dark Rebellion,_ Yuto said to his dragon. _You can trust Yugo,_

The dragon responded with another, more frustrated growl.

 _Just this once, then._

 _What? What's it saying?_ Yugo asked.

Yuto turned to Yugo. _Dark Rebellion's still mad at you for killing me._

Yugo looked up to the dragon and gulped. _Oh._

 _But he's agreeing to work with you this time,_ Yuto explained.

 _Thanks, D.R._ Yugo thought.

 _I'm still not sure about this fight,_ Yuto said sternly. _And Dark Rebellion is apprehensive about fighting against Ray. But Dark Rebellion wants to win and help the children._

Yuto turned his gaze straight ahead, towards Rin and her Windwitch monsters.

 _And he respects you for saving Clear Wing,_ he continued. _He wanted me to take over and duel, but I convinced him to fight alongside you._

Yugo egao'd broadly. _You're the best brother, after Yuya!_

Oh wait, he meant to think that part. Oh wait, he _did_ think that part; Yuto could hear his thoughts. Could Yuto hear his thoughts now?

Yuto sighed. _Just be sure of what you're doing._

The dragon let out a roar, then vanished from sight. Yuto nodded to Yugo, then also faded from sight. All that was left was Yugo.

"I overlay my Level 4 Performonkey and Secondonkey!"

A dark, swirling vortex opened up before Yugo. The monkey and the donkey jumped into the darkness, and an explosion of miasma and stars exploded forth.

Yugo closed his eyes. His heart was pumping, his mind was filled with adrenaline. In his ear, he could hear Yuya and Yuto whisper the dragon's chant to him. Yuto was confident and stern, but Yuya's voiced shared Yugo's excitement and passion.

"Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs!"

From the miasma, the dragon let out a roar from the. Its wingbeats brushed the smoke away, revealing its large, black form to the world around it.

"Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Rank 4, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"

Dark Rebellion, now fully formed, rose up and flew by Yugo's side. It let out a roar as loud as thunder, and its wings spread a trail of sparks in its wake. **(ATK 2500)**

 _"You see that, folks?!"_ the announcer roared. _"The Duel King just Xyz Summoned off of a Pendulum Summon! This is amazing!"_

Dark Rebellion and Yugo shared a glance. This time though, Yugo was able to understand the creature's thoughts. Maybe it was because the dragon wanted to ally with him. Or maybe it was because he could feel Yuya beside him, listening along with him.

Yugo knew what Dark Rebellion wanted to convey: it wasn't scared of Ray. It was apprehensive, but it had less hatred and fear in its heart than Clear Wing. But it could put its worries aside to help, because the dragon believed in him.

Yugo egao'd. It was touching to have the dragon's support.

 _Yugo, you can feel Dark Rebellion's voice, right?_ Yuya asked happily.

 _I sure as hell can!_ Yugo said excitedly.

 _Hmm!_ Yuya said with a nod. _Together now! Let's give the audience a show they'll never forget!_

Yuto seemed to have retreated from the scene, but Yugo didn't mind. He could feel his power running through him and Dark Rebellion. He could feel Yuya and Yuri lend their power to him. It was exhilarating.

But it wasn't just power that he needed. He didn't feel the same overwhelming power Rin displayed earlier, as she summoned Melodious Bell. Though, in all honestly, he did feel more... _in sync_ with what was going on?

Now Yugo could hear the cheers of the audience. He could feel Yuya's heart swelling. Or his heart. Whatever. The adrenaline of riding, the passion of the audience... He looked to his monsters, and they were egao-ing with joy. He could feel their excitement rising.

He was starting to see more of Entertainment Dueling's appeal. Or maybe he was just feeling Yuya's thoughts? It was getting a bit confusing now.

"I activate Dark Rebellion's effect," Yugo announced. "By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can target one monster my opponent controls, then cut its ATK in half. Treason Discharge!"

Dark Rebellion lifted its wings. Purple lighting poured from its body, onto Cold Bell. The electricity ran through Cold Bell's body, causing it to shudder and shake. **(Cold Bell ATK 2100 → 1050) (Dark Rebellion ATK 2500 → 3550)**

"Dark Rebellion gains the amount your monster lost," Yugo went on. "Now, let's do it again! Treason Discharge!"

Again, Dark Rebellion lifted its wings. Purple lighting poured from its body, onto Cold Bell. The electricity ran through Cold Bell's body caused it to shake and shudder. **(Cold Bell ATK 1050 → 525) (Dark Rebellion ATK 2500 → 4075)**

"That won't be enough to defeat Melodious Bell," Rin said stiffly. "And you don't have enough ATK to reduce my Life Points. Try again, Yugo!"

"Oh, I'm just getting started!" Yugo asserted. "I can also Tribute Taketomborg to Special Summon a Speedroid Tuner from my deck!"

Speedroid Taketomborg brought its body back into its previous, taketombo form. It started to spin, letting the rushing winds around it lift it up into the air. It few high above the field, above Yugo's head, before shattering into a sea of sparkles.

Its previous spot on the field started to sparkle. An angry, winged device materialized next to Terrortop. **(ATK 0)**

"This is Speedroid Maligiousmagnet!" Yugo explained. "And during my Main Phase, I can target a faceup monster you control, then use it for a Synchro Summon."

Rin's jaw dropped. "What?"

"I tune your Level 5 Windwitch - Cold Bell with my Level 1 Speedroid Maligiousmagnet!"

The magnet became a ring that flew forward. Cold Bell became the five orbs that flew backwards. When the two forces collided, they created a new light that shon upon the field.

"Synchro Summon!" Yugo cried out. "Level 6! Hi-Speedroid Kendama!"

The light unveiled a new monster: Hi-Speedroid Kendama galloped onto the field and floated before Yugo. **(ATK 2200)**

The audience was cheering now, and Yugo was starting to feel pumped. Their excitement was his. Or maybe it was Yuya's excitement; he was excited because their excitement was his. Yuya's. _**Whatever.**_ Yugo didn't care any more. Right now, he was happy, and he didn't care why.

 _Yuya, this is great!_ Yuya said to Yugo. Or the other way around.

 _I know, right?_ the other responded. _Let's keep going!_

 _Right!_

Yugo pointed a finger right at Rin. "Once per turn, I can banish a Machine-Type monster from my Graveyard, and then inflict 500 damage to Ri- _my opponent!_ "

The image of Performonkey briefly appeared before Kendama's sword. The monster pierced the monkey through its chest, shattering it.

And to Rin, it felt like her own body was pierced by the lance. She clutched at her chest, the same place Performonkey was struck. **(Rin: 5600 → 5100)**

Yugo held up a card in his hand. "I activate the Spell, **Speed Recovery**! Now I can Special Summon a Speedroid mon **ster** from **our Graveyard**."

Now a familiar monster took to the field. Red-Eyed Dice returned for an encore performance, taking up Maliciousmagnet's old spot. **(ATK 100)**

"And I change its Level to 2!"

The monster spun around on one of its corners. It jumped into the air, and its front face spun around, until the side with two dots was facing forward. **(LV 1 → 2)**

" **Now, we're gonna** tune **our** level 3 **Terror** top with my **Level 2 Red-Eyed Dice**!"

Red-Eyed became two rings, and Terrortop and its terror tops became three stars.

"Synchro Summon! Level 5, **Wind Turbine!** "

The combined form was an industrial fan, trapped in a boxy frame. It had thin metal limbs, with three-fingered hands and two-toed feet. At the top was a small, bulbous orb, almost like a diminutive head for the creature. **(ATK 1400)**

The audience was going wild now. From the corner of Yugo's eye, he could see two members of the audience fist-fight as he passed by. Others were throwing food or money. But everyone was screaming, going wild now. They knew what was coming, just as Yugo and Rin did.

 _Accel,_ Yuzu thought.

 _Synchro,_ Rin finished.

At once, their minds were harmonized again. They were joined by their mutual awe and wonder.

 _ **We Accel Synchro Summoned earlier, didn't we?**_ they asked.

 _ **But what is it?**_

 _ **Can Yugo Accel Synchro, too?**_

Through confusion, the two minds were linked again. They had questions, but the mystery only made them more united in heart and mind.

They looked to Yugo, who gave off an aura of confidence. They couldn't see every detail of his face; otherwise, they would have seen his glowing red eye.

Yugo continued, "Next, by sending a WIND monster from my deck to the Grave, we can reduce Wind Turbine's Level by that monster's own Level."

A card was ejected from Yugo's deck. He pulled it out, then quickly moved it over to his Graveyard. **(LV 5 → 4)**

 _"IS HE GOING TO DO IT?!"_ the announcer screamed. _"WILL WE SEE MORE OF THIS ACCEL SYNCHRO?!"_

"Finally, **we tune our** Level 6 **Hi-Speedroid Kendama** with our **Level 4 Wind Turbine!"**

In a blink, Yugo and his entire field were gone. But his voice could be heard amongst the blowing wind that rushed over Rin:

 **"Wings that spread across the sky! They catch the light, and they they glide across the wings! Synchro Summon!"**

This time, Yugo appeared on the other side of the track. He had two monsters trailing behind him: the black Dark Rebellion, and a large, white dragon with brilliant glass wings. Clear Wing's regular wings were attached to the dragon's back, but it also had many smaller wings that floated around them, unattached. The dragon's body was sleek and streamlined, and its tail was longer and less mechanical in appearance.

 **"Level 10, Clear Wing Accel Dragon!" (ATK 3300)**

* * *

Garome was watching the duel from his office. He stood by the window, peering down at the track below him. A billboard displayed across the building showed him the Life Points each duelist had, along with how many Speed Counters each of them accumulated.

The girl could have won easily, if he didn't make the Life Points so high. Her deck had burn by its side. But a quick, one-sided match wasn't what the audience wanted. And the longer a match went, the more people had time to bet on the outcome.

Naturally, he collected a tax on every bet. No matter who won the duel, he would win. And that's not even counting the possibility of enslaving the boy.

 _Yes, maybe it's better to have the boy win._

Garome tapped his cigar, letting the ashes fall onto the floor.

 _If the boy won, I could rig any of the fights ahead of him, sabotage his chances. Then he would be indebted to me._

Having the Duel King under his thumb was a better prospect than employing a girl who could leave at any time.

It didn't matter to him that he was dirtying his own office with his ashes; someone would just clean it up for him, and they would be _grateful_ for the opportunity.

Garome chuckled quietly to himself. Yes, everything was going just fine.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Accel Synchro is one of my favorite things about the franchise, so I was eager to include this. Plus it ties into future developments with the Yu boys/bracelet girls, so it's paving the way for stuff that'll go down later on.**_

 _ **Next time: When one goes beyond their limits, a duel between two lovers concludes.**_


	56. Highway 407: Crazy, Keep on Driving

_**Fun Fact: Yuto and Serena re kind of awkward around each other. You'd think that the two quieter, more dignified members of their respective groups would work well together. But nope, they don't really know how to talk to each other, or even hold conversations.**_

 _ **Description: Yugo and Rin conclude their duel.**_

* * *

 **Yugo: 3 Speed Counters**

 **Rin: 4 Speed Counters**

When we last left off, Yugo Accel Synchro Summoned a new monster: Clear Wing Accel Dragon. **(ATK 3300)** Backing this dragon was Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon **(ATK 4075)** ,a face-down Spell or Trap card, and the two Speedroid cards in his Pendulum Zones. He had two cards in his hand, and 5800 Life Points.

Contrast Rin's field, which had Windwitch - Melodious Bell **(ATK 4950)** , the Continuous Spell, Speed Relay and a face-down Spell or Trap card. She had three cards in her hand, and 5600 Life Points.

 **"Ready to eat cuck, Rin?"** Yugo asked his opponent.

 **(Yugo: 5800 → 5100)**

"Whoops."

Rin rolled her eyes. "So you want me to eat _you_?"

 **"Hehe, yeah,"** Yugo giggled. **"... Wait, no.** No! I' **m not** a cuck **!"**

Yugo's voice wavered a bit there. He could feel the disharmony between him and Yuya take over. He could tell that even Yuya was laughing at that.

Now it was Rin's turn to giggle. "You dumbass."

 **(Rin: 5600 → 4900)**

"That counts as swearing?!" Rin snapped. _"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!"_

It was once again Yugo's turn to laugh, much to Rin's chagrin. Boy, she sure wouldn't be upset if Yugo laughed so hard that he lost control and smashed his bike into a telephone pole...

Actually yes, she _would_ be upset about that. She'd feel terrible.

"So what's your dragon gonna do?" Rin asked.

 **"Who?** Ac **cel?"** Yugo asked. **"Oh! Clear Wing Accel Dragon ga** ins **500 ATK for** every Synchro **Monster** in our **Graveyards!"**

"That's... wow!" Rin gasped. "There's my Cold Bell, Winter Bell, and Wind Turbine, for 1500..."

 **"... And Hi-** Spee **droid Kendama,** _ **and**_ my **own Wind** Turbine **, for another 1000."**

"That's 2500 ATK points!"

Accel Dragon spread its many wings. In their glass, images of all the fallen Synchro monsters could be seen. Their images lit up, and the dragon's wings were wreathed in brilliant flames. **(Clear Wing Accel Dragon** **ATK 3300 → 5800)**

"And that's enough to destroy Melodious Bell."

Rin gulped.

 **"Battle!"** Yugo declared. **"Clear Wing Accel Dragon attacks Windwitch - Melodious Bell!"**

The dragon rose to the sky and spread its wings. The flames descended down upon Rin and her field in the form of meteors. As each meteor crashed into something, it let out an explosive boom, followed by a release of smoke.

From Yugo's point of view, he could only see a moving cloud of smoke. From his microphone, he couldn't hear Rin, but recordings of the meteors' impact against her and her field.

But soon, the smoke started to clear. Rin, her D-Wheel, and the field were no worse for ware. But Melodious Bell's body and dress were tarnished with bruises and dents. Speed Relay was up and floating behind Rin, though would soon shatter into sparkled.

 **(Rin: 4900 → 4050)**

Rin was egao-ing proudly. She raised a hand to give Yugo a thumbs-up. And cue more screams and shouts from the audience around them.

Yugo's eyes widened. **"What now?!"**

"I activated Speed Relay's second effect!" Rin said proudly. "When a Synchro monster I control would be destroyed, and I have more Speed Counters than my opponent, I can send this card to the Graveyard."

She looked to her monster and nodded, before continuing, "My monster isn't destroyed, and my opponent gains Speed Counters equal to half of mine."

 **(Yugo SC: 3 → 5)**

"Speed Relay's a good card," Rin explained to him. "It represents the best of racing: moving faster; surviving obstacles; and even if your setbacks let your opponent move on ahead, you can still persevere!"

Rin closed her eyes and egao'd. _Fernando, you just saved my butt. Thank you so much._

Yugo scratched his chin. **"Well, we should** have known that card was good... It's limited on the Neo Riding Duel banlist, after **all."**

"The what now?" Rin said, blinking repeatedly. "Uh... Hey... So hey! Are you going to end your turn here, Yugo?"

Yugo gritted his teeth. **"No..."**

"but what cat can you do to stop me?" Rin said. "Are you going to attack me with Dark Rebellion?"

"No..." This time, Yugo's voice was small and quiet. "I'll... end my turn, I guess."

Well, Yugo's move wasn't that great. And now, the audience wasn't cheering for him; any noise was reserved solely for Rin and her amazing save. But on the plus side, Yugo was ending the turn with his two powerful dragons to protect him. Note to self: Pad this paragraph out with some random crap later, pretend that it's relevant to the duel or some shit. Make it sound nice.

* * *

 **Yugo: 6 Speed Counters**

 **Rin: 5 Speed Counters**

With Rin's next draw, she now had four cards in her hand. And oh boy, was this new card a treat. In fact, it was absolutely perfect for the situation... if she didn't also have those two powerful dragons to contend with.

Stupid 777 rules. If they weren't in place, she would be able to swear up a storm and crush Yugo into submission with words alone.

 _Look at your Graveyard,_ Serena said.

 _Oh? So you're finally going to work with us?_ Rin asked her.

 _I'm still with the boys,_ Serena told her, huffing. _But I can at least give a piece of advice, right?_

Whatever. Rin tapped the Graveyard Zone on her screen. She was instantly greeted with the pictures of the top five cards in her Graveyard, starting with Speed Relay.

Wait... Speed Relay had a Graveyard effect!

 _No wonder this card was limited,_ Rin thought. _Three effects?_

 _They're just piling things on cards now,_ Ruri said.

Back to the duel at hand though. Rin tapped Speed Relay's card, then pressed the "Activate" button that popped up.

"I activate Speed Relay's Graveyard effect," Rin explained. "If my opponent has more Speed Counters than me, I can banish this card, then roll a six-sided die." A large die appeared behind Rin, floating behind her. It was white, with scarlet dots, and it was the size of one of Rin's D-Wheel's wheels.

"Whatever number that pops up, I get that many Speed Counters."

The die jumped up into the air. It rolled and bobbed in high above the field, above the heads of the duelists, and the monsters. The number of dots seemed to shift and change as the die rolled; one side could have five dots, but would change to four. Another side would have three dots, then change to six.

Finally though, the die fell to the field. It landed on one of its sides, and the side with three dots was at the top. The die then shattered, and Rin's Speed Counters went up. **(Rin SC: 5 → 8)**

"... That's it?" Rin said under her breath? "A _three?_ _ **Lame**_."

Wait. She could feel a spark of something there. She could feel Yuzu's own thoughts agreeing with hers!

 _Rin!_ came Yuzu's voice. _Let's rev it up!_

Rin nodded. _**Right.**_

" **Everyone,** the **fun has just** begun!" the girls announced. **"I pay seven Sp** eed Counters **to** draw **o** ne card frommy deck."

 **(Rin SC: 8 → 1)**

With a dramatic flair (a habit of Yuzu's), Rin drew a card from her deck. She flipped the card over and brought it close to her face, ready to take in the wonder of her newest draw.

In their mind, Rin and Yuzu could see Ruri egao-ing. They could feel her power drift through this card, and into their arm. A card Rin already had in her deck, but one she didn't expect to see in her time of need.

 _ **Th**_ _is is?_ Rin thought.

 _I_ _ **can't let**_ _us go_ _ **d**_ _own_ _ **so**_ _easily,_ she told them. _**We do**_ _this together_ _ **.**_

They smiled. _**We want to win.**_

 _ **"We activate the Spell, De-Synchro,"**_ the girls announced.

Rin placed the card down, and an expanded image of the card appeared behind her. Then, Clear Wing Accel Dragon's image appeared in the artwork, reflecting its look on the field.

 _ **"We return Clear Wing Accel Dragon to the Extra Deck."**_

The picture added a series of ten Synchro rings, which surrounded the image of the dragon. The dragon itself started to fade from the artwork, until it was gone. And once the dragon was removed from the artwork, the card, and the real Accel Dragon, both shattered.

 _ **"If all of the monsters that were used for the Synchro Summon of that monster are in our Graveyard, we can Special Summon all of them."**_

"But since _**our**_ monsters are not in _your_ Graveyard," Yugo said. "So, _**we**_ get nothing..."

Rin nodded. _**"I'm sorry to say, all your hard work was for nothing."**_

But Yugo egao'd. "Don't be so sure of that, Rin."

Yugo rose his hands up. He waved to the members of the crowd, trying to draw their attention to him. And it was working, because peoples' eyes were now falling on him.

 **"Ladies and gentlemen!"** Yugo announced proudly. **"For my next trick, I'm doing to pull a dragon out of my hat!"**

 _ **"You what now?"**_ Rin questioned.

 **"When Clear Wing Accel Dragon leaves the field, I can Special Summon a Level 9 or lower Clear Wing monster from my Extra Deck, with its effects negated. Clear Wing Mirage!"**

The ghostly image of Clear Wing Accel Dragon formed in front of Yugo. The image started to solidify and become less transparent. Solid Vision technology now made the dragon real again.

But then the form started to shrink. The extra wings folded into the main wings, and the body became more and more mechanical. The dragon was essentially reverting back to Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. **(DEF 2500)**

 **"Of course, we wouldn't put Clear Wing in danger like that,"** Yugo went on. **"During this turn, the monster I Special Summoned cannot be destroyed by battle."**

The audience was back to cheering for Yugo now. He could see some people pull on their faces and scream. A woman was grabbing onto another woman and shaking her violently. One man threw a ticket onto the ground and started swearing loud enough for Yugo to hear.

He looked straight ahead, to Clear Wing. **"She can't hurt you now."**

 _ **"But we can hurt**_ **you** _ **,"**_ Rin declared. _**"We activate our face-down: Night of the Windwitch!"**_

A big Trap card rose up from behind Rin's bike. The artwork depicted a dark night's sky. A moon hung high over a flower-filled field. A witch flew through the air on a broom, while her bird familiar flew by her side.

 _ **"We can Special Summon a Windwitch from my hand,"**_ Rin explained. _**"Then, we can switch the battle position one monster our opponent controls. Under My Spell! We call forth our Windwitch - North Wind!"**_

Rin placed a card down on her Disk. Windwitch - North Wind materialized, flying right beside its master. **(ATK 2600)** Meanwhile, Clear Wing was fully under the spell of the witches. It stretched out its body and spread out its wings. **(Clear Wing DEF 2500 → ATK 2500)**

 _ **"When Windwitch - North Wind is Special Summoned, we can inflict 500 damage for each Windwitch monster we control."**_

North Wind waved her magic wand. A thick mist poured forward. It ran down the track, chasing after Yugo. Yugo, in response, revved up his bike and started driving faster. He was on the other side of the track, so maybe there was enough distance to-

He felt the mist roll over his body. It had a bone-chilling coldness to it. He could feel some of his body tingle from the frost. **(Yugo: 5100 → 4100)**

 _ **"Battle!"**_ Rin declared. _**"Windwitch - North Bell attacks Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"**_

North Wind waved her wand, and more thick mist poured through the field. Clear Wing was drowned by the fog. It let out a pained roar as its body started to coat with ice. **(Yugo: 4100 → 4000)**

 **"Clear Wing!"** Yugo yelled. **"We're sorry!"**

Yugo held out a hand to the dragon, almost trying to reach out and touch it. Clear Wing looked to Yugo with sad, worried eyes. It broke his heart.

And Yuya's heart. And Yuto's. And even Yuri's.

 _ **"We're sorry..."**_

 _ **"We activate a Quick-Play Spell from my hand!"**_ Rin interjected. _**"Call of the Windwitch!"**_

By now, Yugo had moved down the track, and was now behind Rin. From where he was now, he could see a large Spell Card rise up to face him. The art depicted a crescent moon against a night sky. A witch flew on a broom stick in front of it, spreading sparkles from the back of her broom.

 _ **"During either player's Battle Phase, we can target a Windwitch monster we control; we can summon a monster from our hand with a Level less than, or equal to that monster's, but it cannot attack."**_

Windwitch - North Bell waved her want and pointed it upward, signalling her support. She was selected by her summoner to cast a spell and bring forth a monster. And her own summon was a familiar little familiar, a cat named Windwitch - Snowball. **(ATK 400)**

 _ **"When Snowball is Special Summoned, we can immediately use it in a Synchro Summon,"**_ Rin explained. _**"We tune our Level 6 Windwitch - North Wind our Level 1 Windwitch - Snowball!"**_

Snowball jumped onto North Bell and started its clawed assault. North Bell let out a shriek, but it was still helpless before the cat's nails. Snowbell tore her apart, reducing her to nothing but six little spheres. With its kill completed, Snowbell morphed into a ring and surrounded the orbs. Everything swirled together and created a light that shone before the duelists.

 _ **"Midwinter wind. Make ice and snow my power and blow through!"**_ Rin chanted. _**"Synchro Summon! Level 7, Windwitch - Winter Bell!"**_

The light spread its wings and became a flying... airplane lady with a pair of honkin' airplane noses. **(DEF 2000)**

 _ **"Winter Bell's effect: we can target a Windwitch monster in our Graveyard, then inflict damage to you equal to that target's Level, multiplied by 200."**_

The image of another Winter Bell was imposed over the Winter Bell on the field. But the image was blown away by a frosty, chilly wind, which flew back over to Yugo. Once again, Yugo was assaulted with a full-frontal blast of cold air. **(Yugo: 4000 → 2600)**

 _ **"We're not done!"**_ Rin continued. _**"Windwitch - Melodious Bell attacks your Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"**_

Melodious Bell spread her arms. An aurora poured from her chest and flowed towards Yugo. The light fell down on Clear Wing, and the monster was engulfed. It let out another piercing, mournful roar for all to hear.

 **(Yugo: 2600 → 150)**

But soon the light faded, leaving Clear Wing to fly behind Yugo. North Wind's ice shattered away from its body, though the dragon still shivered from the cold. Dark Rebellion flew back, taking its new place beside Clear Wing to support it.

The Yu boys were in a tough spot, Clear Wing was hurting, and Dark Rebellion was filled with anger. Yugo was starting to feel sick to his stomach. He kept Clear Wing alive, but he failed to protect it from Ray.

But the people in the audience didn't care about their pain. They only cheered for Rin's amazing turnaround. They were chanting her name and screaming for more. The announcer was throwing out buzzwords to hype her up. They were all in awe and wonder over her performance.

Yugo closed his eyes and sighed deeply. _**Maybe Rin's right. Maybe**_ _I can't protect those I care about._

 _Don't talk like that!_ Yuya told him. _We can keep on fighting._

 _Clear Wing is still around, and Dark Rebellion is backing us up,_ Yuto offered.

 _Rin hasn't knocked us out yet, Yugo. We can keep fighting!_

 _That's it!_ Yuri barked. _That Rin has been getting too big for her britches._

 _What?_ Yugo asked him.

 _The rat dared to challenge the dragon._

 _Rin's not a rat!_

 _We simply can't let her hurt our dragons any more, though,_ Yuri countered. _Shall we teach the girls a lesson?_

 _Hmm..._ _ **Hmm...**_

 _ **"Give up, Yugo,"**_ Rin said to him.

Yugo opened his eyes, and he and his brothers returned to the waking world. _**"I- whuh?"**_

 _ **"It's not too late to surrender,"**_ she told him.

 _ **"And why would we do that?"**_

 _ **"Because we care about you. We don't want to see you hurt."**_

Rin looked back to Yugo. _**"And we don't want to hurt the dragons. But we must do what we have to."**_

 _ **"YOU don't have to do anything,"**_ Yugo replied. _**"WE have people to protect."**_

 _ **"So do we!"**_ Rin barked. _**"We're going help Martha and the kids our own way. But first, we need to protect YOU!"**_

Yugo gritted his teeth. His face was bright red. It was like he was a child, being lectured by his mother. And in front of a big audience, no less.

 _ **"We're not going to allow-"**_

 _ **"We don't care what you allow!"**_ Rin roared. _**"We're not allowing you get yourself hurt!"**_

Oh, did the boys have strong words for Rin now! ... But Yugo bit his tongue. He lowered his head in shame, not wanting to meet her directly.

 _ **"W-we're not a k**_ _i_ _ **d,"**_ Yugo said meekly. _"D-_ _ **don'**_ _t_ _ **go treating**_ _me like one."_

 _ **"We wouldn't have to if you acted like an adult."**_

Rin turned away from him. _**"We set a card face-down. Our turn ends here."**_

Rin's turn ended with her two Synchro monsters out to defend her, while a face-down Spell or Trap waited in the wings. She had one card in her hand, and 4050 Life Points.

* * *

 **Yugo: 7 Speed Counters**

 **Rin: 2 Speed Counters**

It was Yugo's turn, but he wasn't drawing any cards just yet.

He- he was sure he could win here. Just summon Crystal Wing and attack for game, right? Rin was wrong, and he was going to prove it.

But Rin's words cut deep. She always had a talent for getting to him. For the first time, he was worried about his situation here.

What if he summoned Crystal Wing, and Rin just destroyed it with her face-down? Then his dragon would still be hurt, and he'd still lose. Or what if he did win, but he lost any of the fights that came after? Then Rin would be right about him failing, he and his brothers would be trapped under Garome, and he wouldn't have helped anyone.

No. He had to have faith! But he couldn't. He was just so tired of trying. All the passion and energy he once had was leaving his body.

And as he looked up to Melodious Bell and onto his field, he knew that he truly was powerless.

His hesitation was causing dissent amongst the crowd. Yugo could hear the jeers directed at him. They could see his embarrassing moments, his weaknesses, his failure. They were all watching and booing him. They probably knew that he couldn't help anyone, either.

 _I_ _ **really m**_ _ess_ _ **ed**_ _up,_ _ **guys,**_ Yugo thought. _**At least, if Rin wins, she'll be helping Martha and the kids.**_

 _"IS YOU YEAR GIVING UP?!"_ the announcer screamed. _"EVERYBODY, LET'S MOTIVATE THE BOY TO KEEP ON FIGHTING!"_

A few people - loyal fans, or people who had placed bets on him - were cheering Yugo on. But this also resulted in more boos from members the audience. People were against him, and some were even waiting, hoping for him to lose.

 _So, can I give up now?_ Yugo asked. _We did all we could. Let's just give up and go home._

 _I won't let you give up!_ Yuya snapped.

 _But what if Rin's right? She's trying to protect us!_

 _You can't just give up on this, Yugo!_ Yuya said sternly. _Don't let Rin decide what's right for you._

 _The killer tomato's right,_ Yuri offered. _We're stronger than anyone; people should beg for our help._

 _But I think Rin's right..._ Yugo said.

 _She's not right,_ Yuto told him.

 _I made this big fuss about doing this all myself. That I could save everyone. But I couldn't save Rin when she was kidnapped, or stop Yuri, or save Core._

 _Stop it, Yugo._

 _At least my big mouth got us here, and Rin can save the day. But I guess I just made her have to watch over me again._

Yugo opened his eyes. He slowly lifted his hand towards his deck and placed his hand on top of it.

Yuto appeared before him. His eyes narrowed as he looked down on his brother.

 _So you're just going to give up?_ Yuto asked.

"Yes, I am!"

Yuto shook his head.

"You don't get it, Yuto!" Yugo roared. "I-I'm stupid, and I'm weak!"

Yugo's expression was harsh, and he looked furious. But the anger in his face was undermined by the tears welling up in his eyes.

This time, he spoke in a soft, sad voice. "I'm immature. I'm a failure. I'm good for nothing."

 _That's not true at all, Yugo!_ Yuto said quickly.

"It is..." Yugo said quietly. "Rin knows it, everyone knows it. I can't be a hero."

 _Yugo, stop,_ Yuto said sternly.

 _You are a hero, though!_ Yuya said. _Remember yesterday? Rin said that she was so grateful for you never giving up on her._

"Rin _acts_ like I'm her hero," Yugo said ruefully. "I want to be her hero, but I'm not."

 _"WHAT'S YUGO SAYING?!"_ the announcer screeched. _"MAYBE THIS IS SOME SORT OF MYSTERIOUS ACT?! A PERFORMANCE?!"_

Clear Wing let out a loud, mournful roar for Yugo.

Yugo looked back to his dragons. "Clear Wing... Don't worry, I'll end this duel, and you'll be safe."

And Dark Rebellion let out an angry, booming cry towards the sky.

 _So that's it?_ Yuto said. _You're just going to give up?_

 _I need to do what I can to protect-_

 _You're taking the easy way out._

Yugo's eyes widened. He threw his head forward to face Yuto. Yuto was looking directly at him with cold, brooding eyes.

 _You CAN protect everyone,_ he continued. _I KNOW you can. And it's my fault for not helping you realize that._

 _What are you saying?"_

 _I'm saying that you can't turn your back on this,_ Yuto said to him.

 _I know you can do this,_ Yuya agreed. _We can do this. I know that if we try our hardest, we can save the orphanage._

Yugo's jaw dropped. "Really? We can turn this around?"

Yuto sighed. _But I'll only help on one condition._

 _What?_ Yugo thought.

 _I never want to hear you speak like that again,_ Yuto answered, egao-ing. _Yugo, I never want you to doubt yourself, or speak about yourself like that._

 _Buh- what?_

 _I knew, from the moment you defeated me, that you were amazing. You need to see that about yourself, instead of seeing what you did wrong._

Yugo blushed. "I've doubted myself so much. I'm a screw-up sometimes, you know?"

 _Yugo, no._

"But- but that's okay now. It's okay now."

Yuto raised an eyebrow. _What?_

"If I can do something right, just this once, I'll be fine."

 _Yugo..._

"If I can do _**one thing**_ right!" Yugo shouted. "Just one thing! It'll be to protect those I care about!"

The audience around them burst into an eruption of claps and cheers. There were still insults and screams directed at Yugo - they would always be there. But Yugo was too busy listening to the excitement and energy of the people who were rooting for him.

"Alright, Yuto!" Yugo announced. "I'm going to try. I- I'm still thinking that Rin might be right. But I'm- I think I'm still going to keep trying anyway."

 _Together, guys,_ Yuya said. _For the kids._

 _For Martha!_ Yugo added.

 _For stopping Garome,_ Yuto continued.

 _For proving Rin wrong,_ Yuri concluded.

Yuto vanished from sight, and Yugo turned his attention back to the dragons behind him.

 _ **"Clear Wing!"**_ Yugo said to his dragon. _**"Honestly, we're afraid, too! We're afraid of failing again, of letting you and everyone down!"**_

The crowd was yelling, Rin was calling to him, the announcer was droning on. But for Yugo, they were all background noise. His attention was on Clear Wing, who let out a roar.

 _ **"But that doesn't mean we're going to stop trying, Clear Wing!"**_ the boy continued. _**"We're never going to give up again. And we don't want you to give up, either."**_

Clear Wing didn't roar. Instead, it egao'd and gave Yugo a nod. Yugo returned the gestures with his own, and he turned his head to face the track in front of him.

 _ **Let's put our faith in this next draw,**_ Yugo said to his brothers. _**Let's try and get something really good, okay?**_

 _ **"OUR TURN! DRAW!"**_

With a dramatic flair (sparkled and lighting provided by Yuya), Yugo drew a card from his deck. He now sported three cards in his hand, finally giving him more than his opponent.

Yugo looked at the card. _**Yuri, you gave us the wrong card.**_

 _ **The gift of greed,**_ Yuri said proudly.

 _ **You weren't harmonized with us right.**_

 _ **It's better than what you wanted,**_ Yuri insisted. _**L** **ook at the other cards in your hand.**_

Yugo's eyes drifted to his hand. And at once, he understood. _**Ohh...**_

 _ **See, Fusion? I never cost us duels. We're a winner.**_

 _ **"I activate Pot of Avarice!"**_ the banana boy announced. _**"I can shuffle five monsters from my Graveyard into my Deck, then draw two cards."**_

Hi-Speedroid Kendama, Wind Turbine, Speedroids Taketomborg and Terrortop, and Performapal Secondonkey were ejected from the Graveyard. Yugo placed the Synchro monsters in his Extra Deck, then put the rest of his cards on top of his regular deck. His Disk's automatic shuffle function did the rest of the work.

Once the deck was shuffled, Yugo drew two cards and added them to his hand. Now he had four cards to play with.

 _ **Yuri, this card here!**_ the boys commented. _**It's genius! Why thank you, Fusion! Don't call us Fusion, Yuri!**_

Wait, what was that?

 _ **"I activate my Trap card!" Rin cried. "Level Net!"**_

Rin's face-down appeared behind her. It rose up to face Yugo, showing the work of a glowing blue net. Green and blue sparks ran in-between the net's holes, suggesting that the trap was truly electrifying.

 _ **"By paying 1000 Life Points, we target one monster we control; monsters with a level lower than it cannot attack during this turn."**_

Melodious Bell brought her hands forward, and the outer rim of a net appeared in her hands. The net started to materialize below it, giving the monster a veil of protection. **(Rin: 4050 → 3050)**

 _ **"Monsters below Level 12 cannot attack,"**_ Rin explained.

 _ **"... Fuck," Yugo sighed. "Well, there goes using Crystal Wing to win."**_

 _ **"Do you have any way to fight back, Yugo?"**_

 _ **"Actually, yes,"**_ Yugo replied, smirking. _ **"We activate the spell, Synchro Panic!"**_

When Rin turned her head to look back, she would see a large Spell card materialize by Yugo's left side. The art depicted Synchro rings and stars, while five monster silhouettes jumped out of the ground, while surrounded by pillars of light.

 _ **"When we have 7 or more Speed Counters, we can Special Summon as many Synchro Monsters as possible that have been Synchro Summoned during this Duel, from our Extra Deck."**_

 **"Speed Counters?"** Rin cried. **"How'd you get that card?"**

 _ **"We ordered it online like a month ago,"**_ Yugo told her. _**"We got a bunch of cards for Neo Riding Duels."**_

A horizontal line of three lights appeared on the ground before Yugo. Hi-Speedroid Kendama rose from the first light, by Yugo's farthest right. Then Clear Wing Accel Dragon rose from the ground and flew beside it, and Wind Turbine went on to join them. Clear Wing Synchro Dragon and Dar Rebellion Xyz Dragon flew above Yugo's head and joined the monsters in front.

The audience was screaming for more now. People were cheering Yuya's name. And Yugo and Yuya were almost the same thing, so it was like they were cheering for Yugo, too!

 _ **"Ladies and gentlemen!"**_ Yugo cried out cheerfully. _**"For my next trick, we play the Spell card, Preda-Parasite!"**_

A Spell card materialized by Yugo's side. It depicted several Predaplant Tokens and Predator Counters, digging their teeth into the flesh of a green dragon.

 _ **"By Tributing one monster we control, we can reduce the Levels of all non-Predaplant monsters on the field,"**_ he explained. _**"They all become Level 1. Xyz monsters are then treated as being Level 1 monsters."**_

Hi-Speedroid was the monster up for sacrifice. Its body turned into light, and it shattered into dust. Predator Tokens materialized on the bodies of every monster, except for Melodious Bell. For Winter Bell, a Token bit into her neck. Yugo's monsters, however, simply let the Tokens sit themselves on them.

 _ **"... You're going to Synchro Summon,"**_ Rin concluded.

 _ **"We activate our face-down!" Yugo declared. "Re-dyce-cle lets us Special Summon a Speedroid Tuner from our Graveyard, with its effects negated."**_

The ground before Yugo lit up. Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice rose from the ground and floated over to Clear Wing, where it stood by its side. **(ATK 0)**

 _ **"Then, we roll a six-sided die, and that monster's Level becomes that result."**_

But no need for another die, because Red-Eyed Dice was all you'd need. The monster threw itself forward and did a barrel roll. When it landed, a side with four dots was face-up. **(LV 1 → 4)**

Yugo looked to Dark Rebellion. _**"Shall we dance, my friend?"**_

Dark Rebellion let out a roar. An angry, but controlled roar that told Yugo that it was ready to go. Though the roar also told Yugo that the dragon was doing this for Yuya and Yuto, maybe Yuri, and the kids, and Martha, and the orphanage. Not for him.

 _ **"Harsh,"**_ Yugo grumbled. _**"But at least we can beat Ray together, buddy."**_

Dark Rebellion nodded, and it flew forward with Red-Eyed Dice. The dragon became a level star, and Red-Eyed Dice became the four rings that danced around it. They combined together to birth a new form.

 _ **"Synchro Summon!"**_ shoutedthe banana-man. _**"Level 5 Hi-Speedroid Hagoita!"**_

Hi-Speedroid Hagoita was summoned. There. **(ATK 2000)**

 _"BUT THAT MONSTER CAN'T OVERCOME MELODIOUS BELL, CAN IT?"_ the announcer shouted. _"DOES THE DUEL KING HAVE A PLAN IN MIND?"_

 _ **"We sure do!"**_ Yugo declared confidently.

The crowd was going wild now. The turn of events lead to completely polarized reactions, as people began fighting in the stands, screaming for their money back, cheering for "You Year" to win, to people begging him to take a dive and help them win their bets. Passions were high, food was flying, and the stadium was practically shaking.

Yugo's field now had the two Clear Wing dragons, Hagoita, and Wind Turbine. But while the field was strong, people could tell that Yugo wasn't done.

 _ **"By sending a WIND monster from our deck to our Graveyard, we can increase or decrease Wind Turbine's Level by that monster's own."**_

Speedroid Speedroid Pachingo-Kart 's card popped out from Yugo's deck. He pulled the card out and dropped it into his Graveyard. **(LV 1 → 5)**

 _ **We see the path to victory before us,**_ the boys thought. _**Every card we used, every monster we summoned. They've all lead us to this path.**_

In their minds, they could hear the four Dimension Dragons roar. From the field, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon shouted out a battle cry, refusing to back down. From the deck, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon cried out in joy and support for their unity. From the Graveyard, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon screamed for victory and triumph over those that try to hold them back. And from the Extra Deck, Starving Venom Fusion Dragon expressed its eagerness to push on ahead and realize their potential.

 _ **And now, we will take a step forward.**_

The boys could feel it through their body: the power of Zarc. Their own power. They could feel every single monster in their hand, deck, field, Graveyard, and Extra Deck giving them support. Their spirits were aligning with theirs, and they all wanted the same thing: to help Yugo become the hero he always wanted to be.

The boys' body was filled with energy. That energy poured over them and their D-Wheel, coating them with a golden hue. The wind itself bowed to them, letting them ride without resistance. The dust in their tracks became a red fire that scorched the field.

 _ **"I tune my Level 5 Hi-Speedroid Hagoita, my Level 1 Clear Wing Synchro Dragon and Accel Dragon with my Level 5 Wind Turbine!"**_

Wind Turbine's body matched the golden glow. It split into five large, golden Synchro rings. The the three monsters floated into their wings and let their bodies dissolve into golden Level stars. Now together, the pieces of the puzzle united to create the latest and greatest evolution of Synchro Summoning.

 _ **"Spread your wings, oh spirited dragon, and let the light shine through them. Go beyond this world's limits, and become the supreme king of the wind!"**_

Yugo lifted a card up to the sky. A strong wind swirled all around them, and he could feel the full force of its might pour into him. It felt as though the passion of a million duelist filled his heart, and the soul of a dragon was bursting through his body.

Together, he and his brothers made their declaration: _**"Limit Over Accel Synchro!"**_

The resulting monster was almost indescribable. It was a brilliant, large dragon that cast a shadow over the entire track. It was a dragon with a sleek body, covered in white armor. The space between it armor - its joints - were a dark blue. It had stout, armored legs with sharp-nailed toes, while its hands were weapons in their own right. The top of its head was dark blue glass, much like its winds. And the wings themselves - not even attached to the body, but floating behind it - were glowing a navy blue color, yet were still clear as crystal. Cyan sparks ran down its body, from its head and down to its long tail.

That was the most basic description. A being like this could never be described well enough by words. Even images could not capture the true idea of the monster. It was so detailed, and it conveyed its own aura of majesty and power, one would have to be there in person to fully comprehend it.

 _ **"Level 12, Clear Wing Accel Synchro Dragon!"**_ **(ATK 4000)**

The crowd was silent before its presence. Even the announcer held his tongue. They could only watch it and wait. And Garome, who watched from his office, dropped his cigar and fell to his knees.

Even Rin and the other girls couldn't speak. All four of them were finally harmonized as they all had the same feelings and thoughts. They were all in complete and total awe of the dragon.

 _ **"When Accel Synchro Dragon is Special Summoned, it gains 500 ATK for every non-Tuner Synchro monster used for its summon."**_

 **(ATK 4000 → 5500)**

Rin gulped. _**"D-Damn... Yugo, you were able to pull this off?"**_

But then she had to egao. Honestly, though she sounded shocked, this wasn't a surprise to her. She sort of... _expected_ Yugo to do this.

 _ **"We always suspected you'd be able to do something like this,"**_ she went on. _**"Something just so amazing... We just never expected to see it so soon, like this."**_

 _ **"This is what we can accomplish when we work together. When we go over our limits and refuse to let our own fears hold us back."**_

 _ **"And... and I was one of those limits, wasn't I?"**_

Rin let out a long, heavy sigh. It was almost like a weight was lifted off of her shoulders. Maybe it was because now, she knew that Yugo would be okay. Maybe it was because she realized something about _herself_. Maybe it was because she knew that the fat of the orphanage was in good hands.

 _ **"I'm sorry I stood in your way, Yugo,"**_ Rin said. _**"Please, do what you must."**_

Yugo nodded to her. _**"Battle Phase. Clear Wing Accel Synchro Dragon attacks Windwitch - Melodious Bell."**_

The dragon spread its brilliant wings even further. The shadow it cast instead became vivid blue light, illuminating the field. Clear Wing opened its mouth and fired a geyser of white energy down upon the enemy monster.

And then Melodious Bell was gone. **(Rin: 3050** **2500)**

 _ **"Clear Wing Accel Synchro Dragon can attack multiple times a turn,"**_ Yugo went on. _**"Up to the number of non-Tuner Synchro monsters used to Summon it."**_

Rin closed her eyes. Tears started to fall down her face. And a small smirk appeared on her face. She was so happy right now.

 _ **"Clear Wing attacks Windwitch - Winter Bell."**_

And then Winter Bell was gone.

 _ **"Clear Wing attacks directly."**_

And then Rin was gone.

 **(Rin: 2500** **0)**

* * *

Yugo was exhausted. He had a huge headache, and it felt like his mind was broken into a billion little pieces. His butt was numb from riding so long. The inside of his helmet stank from sweat. And when he and Rin parked their D-Wheels on the starting line, Rin kind of bumped into his and left a little dent.

But as he hastily got off his bike and threw off his helmet, he didn't care. Because all his focus was on the girl standing beside him.

"Ray, this was an amazing duel!" Yugo said excitedly.

Rin looked at him with weary eyes. She leaned against her bike and held her helmet in her hands. But she was nodding to him and egao-ing.

"I'm sorry I got so rough at the end there," Yugo said to her. "But I'm going to make you proud when I duel, okay?"

"I know you will," Rin said. Her voice sounded hoarse, which was a little suspicious to Yugo.

"You okay?"

"I'm just really tired," she admitted. "I just... I need to rest for a bit, that's all."

 _Haha, loser,_ Yuri said.

 _Fuck you, Yuri,_ Yugo told him.

 _You're welcome to try, Yugo. You're welcome to try._

* * *

The fight, the dragon, the climax, the end. From his office window, Garome saw it all.

By now, he had regained his composure. He was back to standing, and he had lit another cigar for himself. Ash and cigar littered the ground beneath him, and one of his rings had fallen down to join them.

He wasn't happy. He had gotten what he wanted - the boy's victory - but now he realized that he really fucked himself over. Really, he screwed himself harder than he could anyone else in bed. He really oiled up his patoot and rammed himself right-hard.

In his defense, how was he supposed to know that the kid would pull out that... _that?_ Yeah, the kid saved the city, saved the world. But he never pulled out anything quite as foreboding and powerful as that. And he was _sure_ that he only saw the bare minimum of that dragon's abilities.

In retrospect, he should have rigged the fight against him. Now, he had a monster coming for his head. And he doubted that he could stop him, no matter how many duelists he sent, or how much he cheated to weight things against his favor.

Maybe he could call in a favor with a hitman with nothing to lose? Maybe as a last resort; that kid looked like he could set fires with his mind if he was angry enough. Best not to provoke him just yet.

As he looked down on the field, he could see a curious little scene: Jack Atlas, the former Duel King himself, had entered the arena and was walking towards the boy and girl. Also, he had some nobodies trailing behind him.

Garome raised an eyebrow. _What's he doing here?_

Was he friend? Or foe? Either way, Garome decided to head towards his desk to grab his Duel Disk. He had to make sure that security was at the ready.

* * *

Yugo's jaw dropped. Holy crap, holy shit, holy crap, _Jack Atlas_ was here! He (and En, Gongenzaka and that other guy) were coming up to him and Rin! Technically they already dueled, when Yuya last dueled Jack and Yugo was giving his support. But that didn't count. This time, he got to meet and talk to Jack in person!

Ahhhh was he here to congratulate him? Give him support? Maybe Jack was going to be all "I'm super tough and hard to please, so you haven't won be over yet. I'll be watching you, so you better impress me."

Wait Jack was talking to him. Actually, he looked pretty angry. What was he saying? Yugo totally wasn't listening.

"Did you see my duel, Jack?" Yugo asked him. "Did you? I summoned a really cool monster!"

Jack let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Weren't even listening, were you?" Crow groaned.

En barked. The dog was in Crows's arms, cradled like a baby while the man scratched the pup's fluffy belly.

"Good boy."

"Aww, En's here too?" Yugo cooed. "I missed you."

"Yugo!" Jack barked.

At once, Yugo snapped to attention. He straightened out his back, stood upright, and gave Jack a salute.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Jack said angrily.

"I-I was showing respect, sir!" Yugo said quickly. "Yo-you're my-my idol, so-"

"Not that. I'm asking why you're here."

Yugo nodded. "Aah, it's kind of a crazy story."

"We're listening," Crow responded.

Yugo sighed. "Well, after I ate lunch with ENJOY Chojiro, he told me about our orphanage's debts. And then I found out about Garome and Rin told me his location, because she was coincidentally meeting him. So I rushed over here, ran my D-Wheel through his office, and then I dueled Rin, and now I'm going to duel people and save the orphanage!"

Yugo egao'd. He eagerly awaited a response from Jack. Hopefully a good, happy one. Maybe some praise thrown his way, or Jack offering his own support.

Jack looked angry, though. So the response was maybe not that great.

"Quite the revisionist history there," Jack said to him. "Except I don't think you're telling me the whole story."

Yugo started to sweat. "Well, I _did_ kind of agree to trap myself in unending debt if I fail to defeat Garome and his ten duelists. But _you know_ -"

"YUGO!" Gongenzaka snapped. "That was a _horrible_ idea!"

"That's what I said..." Rin muttered weakly.

"Yeah, Yugo," Crow said. "You don't know how much trouble you'd be getting into with Garome."

Yugo scoffed. "Hey, I know what I'm doing."

"Obviously, you don't," Jack interjected. "Because then you wouldn't be throwing your life away, risking your life, and the life of your brothers."

Note that Jack only learned of Garome when Crow came to him with the news. But Yugo didn't need to know that little detail, right?

Yugo grumbled. Because the last thing he needed was yet another lecture about this. And look how the last lecture turned out...

"I'm saving lives and helping people!" Yugo said flatly. "I'm doing what a hero does."

"A hero makes stupid decisions and doesn't get help?" Jack retorted.

"I'm doing more for the kids than you did."

The audience _OOOO'd_ at this. Crow's jaw dropped, and Gongenzaka's eyes went wide. Jack narrowd his eyes and looked down at Yugo with a look of cold, controlled anger. Like a smoldering fire. Or better yet, a volcano that could erupt at any moment.

Yugo bit his lip. He was sweating hard right now. _Wh-why did I say that?!_

 _You stood your ground,_ Yuri told him. _Good for you!_

 _I hecked up._

"Do you think I'm a hero?" Jack asked him.

A question that caught Yugo by surprise. "Huh- what?"

"Do you think I'm a hero?" Jack asked again. "I'm not a hero. I'm a _champion_. My job is to win, not to save people."

"But you're an idol to so many people!" Yugo protested.

"Because I'm strong, not because I help them. And if I wanted to help them, I wouldn't be putting myself into slavery to do it."

Yugo's expression darkened.

"Yugo, it's time for you to return home. You already wasted your time, and you gave Garome even more money for your performances. Don't make things worse."

"No."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "What did you say to me?"

"I said no!" Yugo barked back. "If I'm the only one who'll help Martha and the kids, then whatever! I'll still help them!"

His eyes narrowed, and he looked right into Jack's eyes. "And if you're no hero to _them_ , then you're no hero to _me_ , either."

 _OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH._ Even the announcer was on the speakers, joining in on the background noise.

"You're a pathetic kid," Jack said coldly.

"What?" Yugo asked. "What do you mean?"

"You think you can take on the world by yourself. That just goes to show what a small-minded, immature child you are."

 _Don't let him talk to you like that!_ Yuto said to his brother.

 _He's baiting us,_ Yuri said. _But take the bait. I'm up for adding another victory to my belt._

"You could have called the Lancers for help, or asked your friends. for help," Jack went on. "Do you really think a kid, even the _Duel King_ , can win against the world of the underground?"

"I didn't want to drag anyone into this," Yugo answered. "I'll do it by myself if I have to."

"You're an idiot," Jack continued. "You know nothing about Garome or this world. About true struggling. All you can think about is being a hero and dueling."

"Are you kidding me?!" Yugo yelled. "I just- I just freaking summoned a huge-ass god-dragon! Most heroes don't pull that off until the final episodes oftheir shows!"

"Did Yuya help you?"

Yugo blinked. "Come again?"

"Did you have Big Brother Yuya help you?"

Yugo looked away. "Hey, we're a team."

Jack chuckled. "All this talk about fighting alone, like some sort of martyr. And yet you can't even fight on your own merits."

"Jack, stop," Gongenzaka said sternly.

Jack pointed an accusatory finger at Yugo. "This talk has done nothing but show me what a pathetic excuse of a man you are, Yugo Sakaki!"

Yugo let out a low, angry growl.

"You have no idea what you're doing, and you need help from others, yet you act like you can do no wrong!"

 _"Are you going to take that from him, You Year?!"_ the announcer cried out.

"No, I'm not!" Yugo snapped. "And I'll prove it by beating Jack!"

The audience was cheering for more. People were rising from their seats to applaud Yugo's words. A few others were rising from their seats to walk away and make a few bets. But most importantly, the sentiment was clear: people were backing Yugo on this one.

"I'll prove to you that I have what it takes to kick Garome's ass, even if I can't rely on Yuya's power."

Yugo smirked. "Jack, I used to look up to you. But now I'm going to do what you couldn't do. Because that's what a real Duel King _should_ do."

"You think you can help anyone the way you are now?" Jack asked him.

"Of course."

With that, Jack nodded. "My D-Wheel is outside. I'm here to beat you down when you're ready."

"Good!" Yugo said confidently. "So we'll duel in about half an hour

 _Don't let Jack get to you,_ Yuri advised him. _I know what Jack's doing._

 _So do I, Yuya,_ Yugo responded.

 _What?_

 _Let's just say that I watched all your talks with Jack and know exactly what he's doing, because it's clear that he's trying to be some wise teacher or something, and he's acting mean and out-of-character to push me to my limits and stuff._

 _That's... That's exactly right, Yugo._

 _I don't care,_ Yugo said simply. _He still pissed me off. So I'm going to prove to Jack - to EVERYONE - that I can do it._

Meanwhile, just a few feet away from the drama, Gongenzaka leaned closer to Crow. He whispered, "How is Jack helping us here, exactly?"

"I've come to how Jack quite a bit lately," Crow explained. Whispering back, of course. "We're even thinking of forming a duel team for this Grand Prix coming up. My point is, Jack wants to help."

"It does _not_ seem like it. It just looks like he wants to antagonize Yugo."

"Trust me, Jack wants to be on Yugo's side, too," Crow replied. "But he also wants to test Yugo to his absolute limits, and make sure he's completely ready."

"You make Garome sound like he is stronger than Zarc," Gongenzaka said.

"He's not," Crow admitted. "But Zarc isn't known for cheating or rigging matches."

"Right. He is just known for his powerful cards and desire to kill everyone."

"At least he doesn't have loan sharks that try to break your legs."

"No. He had dragons for that."

Crow had to chuckle at that. "Guess you're right, Gonny."

And En barked, and Crow and Gongenzaka had a good laugh.

* * *

Garome could see this all from his office window. He could hear the discussion on the speakers. And Garome wasn't too happy with it.

If Jack won, then You Year might be dissuaded from pursuing the path to Garome. And that in itself was a mixed bag now that Garome saw the dragon that boy summoned.

But if You Year won against Jack, but lost to anyone else, he'd be ensnared in debt. If Garome lost to him, then he'd have to forgive that woman's debt. But then again, Garome's risk was nothing compared to the reward he could get from taking You Year.

He didn't like not having the odds completely in his favor. Frankly, he hoped that it would never happen again.

Oh well. At least he'd make a killing with ticket sales, even if this duel came on such short notice.

* * *

 _ **Next time: It's Yugo vs Jack: Winner Takes All. Does Yugo have what it takes to defeat his former idol? Or will Jack kick him while he's down?**_


	57. Highway 408: Highway to the Danger Zone

_**A/N: I don't want to just constantly re-use content and rephrase it so it sounds different, and I feel like that would be boring to read over and over again. So I hope you don't mind me abridging some of the summon stuff to keep the chapter from getting too bloated.**_

 _ **This was originally going to be two chapters, but I decides to combine it into one. This means that the Synchro arc will likely be shorter than expected, but it also means that I can advance the story at a quicker pace.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: Yuri is a lot more devious than he lets on. The sassy pervert bit? Mostly an act to trick people into thinking he's just quirky and weird. In reality, he's still a dangerous and calculating individual. That's also sassy and maybe perverted.**_

 _ **Description: Yugo faces off against Jack Atlas.**_

* * *

This time, Garome was watching the duel from a front row seat in the stands. He could see Jack and the boy on the other side of the track, discussing something. Probably sizing each other up, or talking smack. Which was good, because tension made the duels much more intense. And intensity made for happy, entertained audiences.

He decided that he wanted the boy to win. Yugo - that was his name, wasn't it? Now that he knew of his power, he wanted to remember him. Yugo was powerful and willing to fall into Garome's traps. He couldn't afford to let this chance slip up, no matter the risks.

The 777 Challenge rules this time were another one of Garome's machinations. Something that could punish Jack for his own impulses, while still being fair enough to keep people from thinking that the match was rigged.

Meanwhile, Yugo's rule would discourage him from wasting resources on Xyz Summoning. Garome wanted to keep him strictly involved in Synchro Summoning in the hopes that he would be forced to rely on those Dragon Synchro monsters of his. Keep those filthy, non-Level-based monsters away from the field. That last dragon wowed the crowds and won the duel for Yugo, and having something like that would mean duelists from all over the world would come flock to see it.

Garome took a breath from his cigar. He chose to ignore the coughs of the child behind him, who was choking on the cigar's smoke.

* * *

Yugo and Jack were on their D-Wheels, parked at the starting line. The audience was packed in their seats, watching the duo and eagerly awaiting the duel.

Yugo looked to the crowd, to the people right at the front. En, Rin, Gongenzaka and Crow were looking to him. Rin and Gongenzaka gave him nods of support, while En let out a little bark.

He looked to Jack now. Jack wasn't looking at him. Instead, his eyes were drawn to one girl int he audience, with dark hair and glasses. He said nothing to her, but simply looked at her blushing face and nodded slowly.

"Get ready, Jack!" Yugo told him. "I'll show you how powerful my dueling is!"

Jack scoffed. "You don't know the true power behind Riding Duels."

 _Is it the power to turn everything we touch into this weird CGi look?_ Yuya asked.

Yuto's own thoughts facepalmed. _Yuya, that's honestly... that's honestly ridiculous._

 _I mean, I noticed it, but I didn't want to make a fuss about it..._

"Jack, what's this power you speak of?" Yugo questioned.

Jack scoffed again. He then lifted up his helmet and placed it on his head.

"You'll find out on your own," he said dismissively. "I'm not a teacher. I'm not here to simply explain things to you."

Radio static filled the air again. The speakers were life, and the announcer took a deep breath to grab everyone's attention.

 _"Welcome back to another exciting duel!"_ the announcer announced announcingly. _"Like the last duel, this is a last-minute change to tonight's roster. Sorry to those that were hoping for the duel between Kyosuke Kiryu and Bommer. There will be no refunds."_

And cue tons of loud boos (and one person chuckling) from the audience. Yugo could see a pop can fly from the stands and hit the window of the announcer's booth.

 _"... Ignoring that,"_ the announcer said bitterly. _"We'll be doing another 777 Challenge this time, and it's going to be a riot!"_

A trash can hit the window of the booth. It shattered the glass and smacked into the announcer, knocking them to the ground.

 _"... I'm okay!"_ they said weakly.

There were some chuckles from the audience. Yugo couldn't help but snort and laugh at it, too. But Jack remained as determined and stone-faced as ever. Not a big laugher, that guy.

 _"You Year's rule is different this time around. He can talk all he wants, but Xyz Summoning will cost him 700 Life Points."_

Yugo nodded. _I can live with that._

 _"And Jack has no restrictions on dueling, but he cannot say_ soul _while he's dueling."_

Yugo looked over to Jack. No reaction.

 _Clang!_ The sound of the trash can hitting the ground. From the speakers, people could hear the announcer grunt and force themselves to stand up.

 _"Without further ado... Let's get ready to ride!"_

Yugo looked straight ahead and revved up his bike. He was ready for this. Tired and aching, but unwilling to surrender. He wasn't afraid to keep on fighting.

 _3..._

 _2..._

 _1..._

"Riding...

... _**DUEL!**_ "

* * *

 **Yugo: 1 Speed Counter**

 **Jack: 1 Speed Counter**

Yugo was quick to push through with his D-Wheel's at full force. Both he and Jack were driving at incredible speeds, aiming to overtake the other and reach the first corner. In doing so, they would be the first one to make a move.

But Yugo pushed on, slowly pushing his way towards the middle of the track. This way, he'd be able to keep Jack back and unable to surpass him. And to Yugo's luck, Jack started to slow his speed.

Yugo was the first to reach the corner, so he was up first. And with seven cards in his hand, 7000 Life Points to his name, and a song in his heart, he was ready to throw down some cards and kick Jack's ass.

"When I control no monsters, I can Special Summon Speedroid Terrortop from my hand."

Time for the terror-fying monster's encore performance. Speedroid Terrortop materialized in front of Yugo, smaller tops trailing behind it. **(ATK 1200)**

"And when this card is summoned, I can add a Speedroid monster from my deck to my hand!"

A card was ejected from the deck. Yugo grabbed it and presented his card to his opponent.

"If I control a WIND monster, I can Special Summon Speedroid Taketomborg from my hand!"

Speedroid Taketomborg materialized on the field, to the left of Terrortop. It first took the form of a large taketombo. But it unfolded its body and transformed into a more robotic, humanoid appearance. **(DEF 1200)**

Yugo took a deep breath, then let out a sigh. He had a plan for his turn, and he imagined all the steps for it. But honestly, he was feeling pretty winded. Heh, WIND-ed, and he played a WIND deck. Haha.

No puns, only action. "I can Tribute my Taketomborg to bring out a Speedroid Tuner from my deck!"

Second verse, same as the first. Speedroid Taketomborg brought its body back into its previous, taketombo form. It started to spin, letting the rushing winds around it lift it up into the air. It few high above the field, above Yugo's head, before shattering into a sea of sparkles.

This time, the chorus was of a different tune. Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice was realized and materialized by Terrortop's side. **(ATK 300)**

Yugo's eyes strained to look ahead. But he wasn't going to let his sore eyes get in the way of a power play. "I tune my Level 3 Terrortop with my Level 3 Tri-Eyed Dice!"

Tri-Eyed dice became three rings that danced around Terrortop. Terrortop itself gave way to three Level orbs. When all the material collided, they created a new light that lit up the field.

"Synchro Summon!" Yugo cried out. "Level 6! Hi-Speedroid Kendama!"

The light unveiled a new monster: Hi-Speedroid Kendama galloped onto the field and floated before Yugo. **(ATK 2200)**

Yugo could feel Yuya's mind reach out to him. _You're doing great, Yugo._

 _Thanks,_ Yugo said, though even his thoughts seemed strained and tired.

 _I can take over if you're too tired._

 _Yuya, no._

 _I know, I know,_ Yuya sighed. _You need to do this yourself._

 _Right._

 _Sorry. It's just hard to stand by and watch when your brother is hurting._

Yugo egao'd. _Then I'll end this duel soon, 'kay?_

"Hi-Speedroid Kendama's effect!" Yugo declared. "Once per turn, I can banish a Machine-Type monster from my Graveyard, and then inflict 500 damage to my opponent."

The image of Speedroid Taketomborg appeared before Kendama's sword. Kandama thrust forward and pierced the image through the chest, shattering it. **(Jack: 7000 → 6500)**

Jack didn't even look over to Yugo or acknowledge the attack. He didn't really react at all.

"I'm not done!" Yugo said. "Next, I Normal Summon my Speedroid Double Yoyo."

He placed a card on the Disk in front of him. Double Yoyo, the green-wheeled, knife-featuring robot toy was summoned forth by Yugo. **(ATK 1400)**

"When Double Yoyo is Normal Summoned, it can Special Summon a Level 3 or lower Speedroid monster from my Graveyard."

A small portal opened up from behins Yugo. Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice exited the portal, then flew forward and parked itself beside Double Yoyo.

Yugo closed his eyes. It almost felt like his eyelids were burning his eyes, but it felt good, in a way.

"I tune my Level 4 Double Yoyo with my Level 3 Tri-Eyed Dice."

The stars aligned and the rings were joining them. Yugo rode on by as the new creation created a strong, dangerous whirlwind.

"Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings, and strike down your enemies at the speed of light," Yugo chanted. "Synchro Summon! Appear before us. Level 7, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

The whirling broke apart, revealing a monster that trailed behind Yugo. The dragon with clear wings and white body let out a triumphant roar to declare its victorious return. **(ATK 2500)**

"I set two cards," Yugo concluded. "And I end my turn."

And with that, Yugo's turn was over. He had two Synchro monsters, two set Spell/Trap cards, three cards in his hand, and 7000 Life Points.

* * *

 **Yugo: 2 Speed Counters**

 **Jack: 2 Speed Counters**

Jack drew a card, giving him eight cards. And... yeah.

"I summon Red Resonator," he said simply.

The card he drew was now placed on the field before him. Red Resonator materialized by its summoners side. It held two staffs: a tuning fork, and a want with a red ball on top. **(ATK 600)**

"When Red Resonator is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon Red Sprinter from my hand."

The creature banged its two staffs together. A visual sound wave echoed forward, and the waves became a portal that released the dog-like Red Sprinter out onto the field. **(ATK 1700)**

"March forward!" Jack declared. "I tune my level two Red Resonator with my Level 4 Red Sprinter!"

Red Resonator banged its items together again, and its body divided into to green Synchro rings. They danced around Red Sprinter, who became the four Level orbs that yadda yadda yadda now we have Red Rising Dragon. **(ATK 2100)**

People in the audience were applauding now. Though many more booed, and some expressed their grievances through insults. Though their specific calls were hard to hear over the rushing winds, some of them could be heard in Jack's ear: they wanted Yugo to win, they were disappointed by Jack's performance so far, they thought he was washed-up.

Not helping was the announcer's own commentary. _"Jack, is this the best you can do? Tell me you have an ace up your sleeve, because that monster's ATK is pathetic!"_

But Jack didn't care about their words. A lion does not concern himself with the opinions of the sheep.

"When Red Rising Dragon is Synchro Summoned, I can Special Summon a Resonator monster from my Graveyard."

"Clear Wing's effect!" Yugo declared. "At this time-"

Jack lifted a hard out from his hand. "By discarding Veiler Resonator from my hand, I can negate the effects of one monster on the field that my opponent controls."

Clear Wing spread its wings, which started to glow with a green light. But the image of a ghoulish Resonator with bat wings appeared behind it. The monster touched the wings, and the once-wondrous glow started to fade.

Yugo let out a small growl. _Sorry, Clear Wing._

A portal opened up to the right of Red Rising Dragon. Red Resonator, grinning like a madman, rose up from the portal and floated before Jack.

At once, Yugo completely understood Jack's plan here. _Argh, why didn't I see this coming?!_

 _What?_ Yuya asked. _What is it?_

 _I see what he's doing now,_ Yugo explained to him. _He's going to destroy my monsters and hit hard with Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend._

"I tune my Level 6 Red Rising Dragon with my Level 2 Red Resonator!" Jack declared.

[Note: remember to include a paragraph about rings and balls and shit. Make it sound nice, even though it's clearly just there to pad things out while the character does their chant or whatever.]

"The heaven and earth shall tremble before the king's might!" Jack commanded. "Let the power of the one supreme ruler be carved into your soul! Synchro Summon!"

 **(Jack: 6500 → 5800)**

The heavens almost ripped apart when the right arm of Scarlight punched itself through the summon's light. The dragon burst forward and rose high above the field, breathing fire and flames at it soared.

"My very soul, Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend!" **(ATK 3000)**

 **(Jack: 5800 → 5100)**

"You can't say _soul,_ " Yugo said to him. "That's why you're losing Life Points, dude."

"I know," Jack said dismissively.

"Eh? Then why'd you say-"

"Because I won't suppress my spirit for a challenge."

Yugo let out a small grunt of confusion. He chose not to question Jack any further on this, though he was still a bit confused. But Jack threw his pointer finger up into the air, drawing attention from everyone in the underground stadium.

"Why would I hold myself back?!" Jack roared to the audience. "A duel is not a duel unless you can unleash your true power! And if I have to suffer for it, then so be it!"

Members of the audience was cheering for Jack now. How quickly did some of them (ie, the people who didn't place bets, or were already betting on him) were to turn against Yugo. Yugo didn't really care for that aspect of show business.

"I activate my dragon's effect!" Jack announced. "Once a turn, I can destroy all Special Summoned monsters with less or equal ATK to that of my Scarlight! Absolute Powerflame!"

Scarlight lowered its head, and it threw itself downward like a falling star. The dragon raised its right fist and threw it ahead of itself. So when it crashed into Yugo's side of the field, its powerful punch was able to plough through and shatter his monsters.

"You also take 500 damage for each monster destroyed," Jack explained to him.

 **(Yugo: 7000 → 6000)**

Yugo smirked. Though he was starting to feel weak, his resolve was still strong. _Clear Wing, your sacrifice won't be for nothing._

"Now, battle phase!" Jack shouted. "Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend attacks you directly!"

Scarlight raised its right fist. It breathed fire down upon Yugo's side of the field and threw its fist toward him.

"Not so fast, Jack!" Yugo responded, egao-ing. "Trap, activate! Dice Roll Battle!"

From behind Yugo's D-Wheel, one of his two face-downs rose up. This Trap's art featured two octahedron dice - one blue and one red - clashing together in a fierce battle.

"That's not all!" Yugo said proudly. "I also activate Speedroid Menko's effect! When you make a direct attack while it's in my hand, I can Special Summon it!"

Scarlight's fist fell down towards Yugo, but it couldn't hit him; Speedroid Menko **(ATK 100)** materialized between Yugo and the dragon, protecting its master from a hit.

"And your monster is switched into DEF mode!"

 **(Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend: ATK 3000 → DEF 2500)**

Jack simply scoffed.

"Don't forget about my Trap, dude!" Yugo continued. "By banishing a Speedroid from my Graveyard, and a Speedroid Tuner from my hand, I can Special Summon a Synchro monster whose Level is equal to those monsters' total Levels."

Speedroid Gum Prize **(LV1)** was removed from the hand and banished. Double Yoyo **(LV 4)** would leave the Graveyard to join it. And the Synchro rings and Level orbs would appear on the field and merge together.

Together, they created a monster riding atop of a sword. Hi-Speedroid Chanbara **(ATK 2000)** floated behind Yugo and rode with him, keeping Jack and his monster from getting any closer to his master.

Yugo looked straight on ahead. His back hurt and he wanted a glass of water. "How's that, Jack?"

"I'll set a card and end my turn." That was Jack's only response.

With the placement of a face-down Spell or Trap, Jack ended his turn. He also sported his Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend on his field, five cards in his hand, and 5100 Life Points.

* * *

 **Yugo: 3 Speed Counters**

 **Jack: 3 Speed Counters**

Alright. Now with four cards in his hand and a strong field at his disposal, Yugo was feeling a little more confident in himself. Even better, a few people in the audience were cheering for him. (Well, "Yuya" and "You Year." But close enough, right?)

He looked down at his hand. Unfortunately, couldn't see a way to bring about Clear Wing Accel Synchro Dragon just yet. And regular ol' Clear Wing Accel Dragon didn't seem like an option, either. But the pieces were in place for another monster...

"I play Speed Recovery!" said Yugo "I can Special Summon a Speedroid monster from my Graveyard. And I'm bringing back my Hi-Speedroid Kendama!"

Behind Yugo, and beside Chanbara, the a portal opened on the ground. Hi-Speedroid Kendama rose from the portal and faced Jack and his dragon. (ATK 2200)

"And I can banish Speedroid Terrortop from my Grave to hit you with 500 points of damage!"

The image of Terrortop appeared before Kendama's sword. Kandama thrust forward and pierced the image through the chest, shattering it. **(Jack: 5100 → 4600)**

"So far, you've done nothing but chip away at me," Jack commented dryly. "I've done more damage to _myself_ than you've been able to do to me."

"That's gonna change, Jack!" Yugo answered. "I summon Speedroid Dominobutterfly, and tune it with my Level 6 Hi-Speedroid Kendama."

Speedroid Dominobutterfly **(ATK 100)** materialized onto the field before Yugo. But immediately after it was summoned, it flew backwards, passed Yugo by, and became the rings that yadda yadda and now we have Crystal Wing. **(ATK 3000)**

"Do you remember my dragon, Jack?" Yugo asked him. "I used it against Serena in the Friendship Cup."

"I remember," Jack answered.

"And I won with it."

"That won't happen here."

"We'll see," Yugo said with a smirk. "Battle! Crystal Wing attacks Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend!"

Crystal Wing spread its crystal wings. It shot up high into the air, then opened its mouth, and...

"I activate my Trap!" Jack announced proudly. "King Scarlet protects Scarlight from being destroyed by this battle!"

... Did nothing as Jack's card rose up in front of him. Crystal Wing halted its attack, then dove down as quick as it good. It stopped right behind Yugo and trailed behind him.

And on Jack's side of the field, the shield-like item depicted on the Trap's artwork materialized on Jack's side of the field, next to the dragon it protected. **(DEF 0)**

"As you must know, King Scarlet also Special Summons itself as a Normal Monster," Jack explained.

Yugo nodded. "And it's a Tuner. So I'm could be in trouble next turn."

"Correct."

Yugo closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "Then Hi-Speedroid Chanbara attacks your King Scarlet."

Yugo let out a sigh, then leaned back. He was getting a bit too tired to keep on watching the fight. He simply opened his ears and listened for the sound of impact and the resulting explosion caused by King Scarlet's destruction.

And due to Chanbara's effect, it gained 200 ATK during the start of the damage step. **(ATK 2000 → 2200)**

 _Boom!_

"I'm ending my turn here," Yugo said simply.

Not the most impressive end to a turn. But with Speedroid Menko, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon and Hi-Speedroid Chanbara on his field, he, the two cards in his hand, and his 6000 Life Points were safe.

* * *

 **Yugo: 4 Speed Counters**

 **Jack: 4 Speed Counters**

Now with six cards, Jack's hand was faring much better than Yugo's. But with only his Scarlight on the field, he was in a bit of a pickle.

He looked to the Crystal Wing ahead of him. Monster effects would just trigger it and make it stronger. Raigeki was forbidden on the Synchro Dimension's banlist, so that was also not an option. Directly attacking it wouldn't work... Or would it?

"I change Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend to ATK mode," Jack started.

 **(Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend: DEF 2500 → ATK 3000)**

"I can equip Soul Fist to a Red Synchro monster I control," he went on.

A blown-up version of the Spell Card materialized to Jack's left side. It depicted a fist with a burning orange symbol on the back of it. The same mark now appeared on the back of Scarlight's right fist, and its entire arm was wreathed in flames.

 **(Jack: 4600 → 3900)**

"I activate the Spell, Scarlet Security! I can destroy all Spell and Trap cards my opponent controls!"

The image of a dragon's clawed hand, similar to Scarlight's own left hand, materialized high above the field. It came crashing down onto Yugo's side of the field, hitting a now-visible face-down behind him. Upon impact, both the hand and the card shattered.

Yugo grunted. He knew Jack well enough to see where he was going with this. _Mutually-assured destruction._

 _So he's going to destroy his own dragon?_ Yuto questioned.

 _Not exactly,_ Yuya told him.

 _Yuya's got it right,_ Yugo confirmed. _That dragon is Jack's soul. He'll never let it stay down._

"Battle Phase!" shouted Jack. "Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend attacks Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon!"

"Crystal Wing's effect activates," Yugo said tersely. "But it won't work, will it?"

 **(Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon ATK 3000 → 6000)**

"At this time, I activate Soul Fist's effect," Jack explained.

 **(Jack: 4600 → 3900)**

"Once per turn, if my opponent has monsters with ATK higher than the monster equipped with this card, I can make the ATK of all those monsters equal to the equipped monster's own."

 **(Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon ATK 6000 → 3000)**

"Scorching Crimson Hell Burning!"

Scarlight flew upwards, towards Crystal Wing, while Crystal Wing spread its wings and blasted towards Scarlight. The two monsters clashed together, with Scarlight striking Crystal Wing with its burning fist, and Crystal Wing clawed and bit into its enemy's flesh.

The monsters tore each other apart. Once both of them made their final attacks, they shattered. Their sparkles rained down on the field.

The audience was going wild now. People were screaming in surprise, or in confusion. Some were applauding, though many were booing.

 _"Jack ended the battle by destroying Crystal Wing, at the cost of his own soul!"_ the announcer screeched. _"But his turn isn't over. Can he turn this around before You Year's turn?"_

"I activate Mirror Resonator's effect!" Jack announced. "When my opponent controls a monster that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, and I do not, I can Special Summon this card from my hand."

A Resonator monster materialized before Jack. It had a large mirror on top of it, and it reflected Hi-Speed Chanbara's image. **(ATK 0)**

"And I will never let the Devil have my soul!" Jack declared. "I activate the Spell, Red Reborn and revive my Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend!"

 **(Jack: 3900 → 3200)**

And now, another Spell Card appeared beside Jack. The Spell then morphed and changed its shape and design, becoming Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend. **(ATK 3000)**

 _He's gonna do it!_ Yugo thought.

"I summon Barrier Resonator to my field!"

And that he did. A friendly-looking Resonator with a battery pack thing on its back materialzed to the left of he other Resonator monster. **(ATK 300)**

Jack threw a finger up into the air. "With my Level 8 Scarlight and Level 1 Mirror Resonator and Barrier Resonator, I perform a Double Tuning!"

The two Tuner monsters became the two flaming rings that surrounded Scarlight. Scarlight gave way to the eight Level stars, and they created a mighty wall of flame that separated Jack and Yugo.

"The king and the Devil, they cross here and now! Touch the soul of the Crimson Dragon, and raise up the cry of creation!"

 **(Jack: 3200 → 2500)**

A crimson dragon rose out of the flames, flying into infinity and vanishing before everyone's eyes. The flames themselves were ripped apart by a powerful and enormous dragon.

"Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 10, Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend!" **(ATK 3500)**

 _"HERE IT IS!"_ the announcer screamed. _"Jack's greatest ace in the hole!"_

"I activate Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend's effect: one per turn, I can destroy all other cards on the field! Absolute Power Inferno!"

The tyrant dragon flew high into the air and, like a falling star, descended towards Yugo's side of the field. Its right fist punched the track, and flames spilled forward. Yugo's monsters were instantly incinerated.

"I spend my Speed Counters to inflict 800 damage."

 **(Jack SC: 4 → 0) (Yugo: 6000 → 5200)**

"Then I set a card and end my turn," Jack concluded.

With the setting of a Spell or Trap card, Jack's turn ended. He had no cards in his hand and had 2500 Life Points, but he had a strong showing with Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend acting as his protector.

* * *

 **Yugo: 5 Speed Counters**

 **Jack: 1 Speed Counters**

Alright, so things were kinda fucky now. But that didn't matter! Because with Yugo's next draw, he was determined to turn the duel around and show the king who was boss.

Now Yugo had three cards in his hand, including the Pot of Avarice he just drew. And with the other cards in his hand, he had an idea.

He was starting to feel that passion again. The excitement of dueling his idol, the rush of victory and the joy of achieving his goals. He was still exhausted, but he also felt so alive. Everything in the duel had been leading up to this moment: flawless victory.

 _Clear Wing Accel Synchro Dragon... I'm coming for you._

"I play Pot of Avarice!" Yugo announced. "I return Hi-Speedroids Chanbara and Kendama, Clear Wing, Crystal Wing and Speedroid Menko to my Deck, and then I draw two cards."

Five cards were ejected from the Graveyard. Yugo slid the Synchro Monsters onto the top of his Extra Deck, then put Speedroid Menko in his Main Deck. The Main Deck was then automatically shuffled, and the top two cards popped out.

Yugo picked up the first card. _Speed Spell - Go Really Fast_ , which granted him three extra Speed Counters, but would take four away at the end of the turn.

Yugo drew his next card and flipped it over, giving it a quick examination before...

Yugo's jaw dropped, his face went pale, his eyes went cold, whatever. Whatever the hell you can imagine, he was fucking _terrified_. His hand was shaking badly. He could barley even hold onto the card, much less add it to his hand. He

He

 _Please no._

It was Supreme King Brutality. One of Zarc's cards.

 _Zarc..._ he thought.

No. No, this couldn't be. Zarc was gone. Zarc was purified. They were his legacy, but their existence proved that he wasn't around anymore. He shouldn't be around anymore. He should be gone. He _is_ gone. Right? Zarc's gone, right?

Yugo let go of the handle bar. His hands pressed against the side of his head and his fingers pressed hard against his helmet.

 _No. Please no. Please no please no please no_ _please no please no please no please no._

Things were starting to flash before his eyes: Yuto's body being destroyed and his soul being absorbed by Yuya. Yugo's own body being destroyed and his soul absborbed by Yuri. And Yuri's own death at the hands of Yuya.

And he could see that Spellcaster monster, the one that helped to create Zarc. And he could see, from Zarc's own eyes, cities and worlds on fire.

Tears ran down Yugo's face. He could see it. He could see everything that Zarc was doing. He could see people dying, being burned alive by the fire. He made those fires. He killed them.

 _Please no please no please no_ _please no please no._

He could see himself. Or Zarc. No, they were the same. They were looking in a mirror, or a puddle or water, or. Or...

 _Together._

 _Please no!_ Yugo's mind cried out. _Leave me alone!_

Zarc's voice was clear in his head, louder than all of his other thoughts. _Together._

 _"Never!"_ Yugo screeched. _"I'll never be like you!"_

 _No. Together,_ Zarc said again.

 _Yuya, Yugo, Yuri!_ Yugo begged. _Help me... Help me! HELP ME!_

 _Yes..._

 _Please...!_

Zarc held his hand out to Yugo.

 _Please no please no please no_ _please no please no please no please no-_

Poor Yugo was so busy trapped in his own thoughts, he didn't see that he went off-track. His bike ran straight forward, sending him crashing him into a wall.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Soul Fist can't actually counter Crystal Wing like that. But since it's an anime-exclusive card and not available in the OCG or TCG, I decided to take creative liberties and allow it to counter Crystal Wing's effect. Consider it one of the cards retconned after Zarc's second downfall.**_

 _ **Also, I really hate riding Yugo duels because of Clear Wing and Crystal Wing. Their negation effects just shit all over everything in ARC-V. There are ways to get over them, but only a few of them are interesting.**_

 _ **Next time: Yugo wakes up in time for the grand finale. The duel against Garome begins now.**_


	58. Highway 409: Shooting Star

_**A/N: Special thanks to HunterHQ, who has been giving me tons of useful cards suggestions and ideas to design Garome's deck. Sorry I couldn't include every idea.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: Sometimes, Yuri likes to encourage the younger kids at You Show to start fires. Then he reports them and gets them into trouble.**_

 _ **Description: Jack and Yugo work to bring down Garome once and for all.**_

* * *

 _"I rowed down my boat... and found out where the fish roam~"_

 _Who's singing?_ Yugo wondered that as he opened his eyes.

 _"Now grab my hand. Let's go and see."_

It sounded like Rin. No, Yuzu. Yuzu sad a softer way of speaking, and it came through with her song.

The first thing Yugo saw when he woke up was a ceiling fan. It was attached to a burgundy ceiling with several stains of various colors.

 _"Maybe you can help me. And that's when I met the love of my life~"_

 _"His eyes are opening."_

 _"Yugo?"_ It sounded like Rin's voice now. _"Yugo..."_

Yugo slowly rose into a sitting position. Though it was surprisingly painful on his back, and his head started to pound as he moved.

Rin, with her orange eyes, was sitting with him. Behind her was a big desk, some chairs, and tire tracks. They must have been in Garome's office, then.

"Are you okay, Yugo?!" Rin asked desperately.

"Argh..." he grumbled. "Yeah, I think I'm fine."

Rin (or perhaps Yuzu) responded by giving him a healthy smack across the back of his head with a paper fun. Yugo let out a yell and started to rub his wounds.

"Acha-cha, what the hell?!" he groaned.

"That's for letting yourself get hurt!" Rin snapped at him. "You reckless _moron!_ "

Yugo lowered his head. "Jeez, Rin, try being a little nicer next time. It's not my fault I crashed."

Though it hurt to turn his back, he forced himself to look around the room for any more information. Now he could see Gongenzaka by the window, En by his feet. Crow walked over from a corner to stand by Rin, his arms crossed and his brow furrowed.

"So, guys," Yugo said. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"You crashed your bike," Gongenzaka said, not looking away from the window.

"I figured," Yugo said flatly. "Where's Jack?"

"Come see."

Rin and Crow held out hands for Yugo. Yugo took their hands in his and, with a bit of struggling, let himself be lifted into standing position. Once he was on his two feet, he joined Gongenzaka at the window.

Looking down at the field, he could see Jack standing on one end of the field. His Duel Disk was activated, and Red Gargoyle **(DEF 1400)** ,Red Warg **(DEF 1400)** , a Loan Token **(DEF 0)** and two face-down cards protected him from his opponent: Garome.

Garome had his own field: a Toichi the Nefarious Debt Collector **(DEF 1300)** and a face-down card. He also had two face-up cards in his Spell/Trap Zone, though from Yugo's position, he couldn't make out what the card was supposed to be.

"Why are they dueling?!" Yugo asked.

"You couldn't go after Garome," Rin said. "And since you couldn't, Jack did."

Yugo looked to her. "Gimme a quick rundown on what happened."

"Garome came to congratulate Jack on his victory. But Jack managed to convince him to duel him for the future of the orphanage."

"Garome was against it, and wanted to put Jack under the same deal he gave to you," Crow explained. "But Jack refused and demanded a duel with Garome."

"The crowd started going nuts over it, and I guess Garome had to agree to it."

"Jack's putting himself at risk, Yugo," Gongenzaka added. "If he loses, he'll be under the debt."

Yugo let out a growl. "Bullshit! He yelled at me for doing it, and then he goes and does it?"

"You don't get Jack!" Crow said. "Jack wanted to push you and make sure that you were strong enough for this."

"Then I guess I'm not strong enough," Yugo said bitterly.

"That's not- I-..." Crow let out a sigh. "Hey, Jack has a lot of respect for you and the other boys. He doesn't count this as a loss against him, since you wiped yourself out and couldn't fight."

"It wasn't my fault!" Yugo protested.

"Why _did_ you crash, Yugo?" Rin asked him.

 _Yeah, why?_ Yuya asked him.

 _We didn't see,_ Yuto said.

"I... I..." Yugo muttered.

He looked at Rin's concerned face. Poor thing, she was so angry and worried right now. Telling her the truth would just make things worse for her.

"I was just so tired, and I guess I just passed out."

Rin frowned. "Reckless idiot, riding your D-Wheel when you're tired..."

 _I feel like you're not being honest,_ Yuya told his brother.

 _I'll tell you guys later,_ Yugo answered. "Guess I learned my lesson. I embarrassed myself in front of Jack, lost the duel, and now Jack's in danger 'cuz of me."

"He put himself on the line for a reason," Crow said to him.

"Eh?"

"Jack felt like he owed the people of the city," Crow explained. "They hailed him as a champion and a hero, and supported him. Even when they hated him, it was because he wasn't acting like the beacon he should have been."

"But that's not Jack's fault," Yugo said. "He couldn't fix the city."

"But you and the others did," Crow countered. "And he wants to be a hero to those in need, like you guys."

Yugo looked back down on the duel. "But it should have been me down there..."

Crow walked closer and put a hand on Yugo's shoulder. "I think your words to him meant a lot to him. And he wants to be the hero he couldn't be earlier."

* * *

Back on the field, the duel was heating up. Only two turns had passed, but the duel was already proving to be a memorable one.

Jack still had his two monsters and his face-downs. His hand had five cards, while his Life Points were at 2300.

Contrast Garome, who had his monster, a face-down, and four cards in his hand. His face-up Spell/Trap cards were the Continuous Spell, Attraffic Control and the Continuous Trap, Endless Loan. His Life Points were much more plentiful, at 3700. And it was his turn to act.

"I summon a Chainsaw Insect!" Garome announced.

Garome placed a card on his Disk's blade. A large beetle insect appeared before him, to the right of his other monster. Its mandibles had the teeth of a chainsaw, and they were buzzing with life. **(ATK 2400)**

"I enter the Battle Phase," Garome declared. "Chainsaw Insect attacks Red Warg!"

The bug scuttled across the field, holding up its pincers. The teeth started to whirl and move like an actual chainsaw. And once they reached the red doggo, they also hacked away at the monster's body. Soon, Red Warg was reduced to shattered remains. **(Jack: 2300 → 1300)**

"Since Chainsaw Insect's effect triggers: you draw one card."

Jack kept his eyes on Garome while he moves his hand over his deck. With two fingers, he pulled out the top card of his deck, then added it to his hand. He now had six cards in his hand.

"My Battle Phase is over," Garome said. "Now I activate the effect of Toichi the Nefarious Debt Collector!"

The collector walked over to Jack's field slowly. It Judging from the smile that peeked through its upturned shirt collar, it seemed to like it was going to enjoy what was coming next.

Meanwhile, the reptilian beast Loan Token started to sweat. It struggled to hold the heavy weight it was holding, but Toichi's approach seemed to be causing it the most visible distress. It started to sob and whimper in unheard words.

"Once per turn, I can inflict 1000 damage to my opponent for every Loan Token on the field."

Toichi lifted up his briefcase, slammed it hard against the top of the weight. The extra force was enough to force the Loan Token monster onto its knees and make it help in pain. And with a more more whacks, it cries grew louder.

One more whack caused the monster to let go of the weight. The weight fell and hide the monster entirely under it. The poor creature was crushed by debt. **(Jack: 1300 → 300)**

Garome lifted a card from his hand. "I set a Trap card face-down and end my turn. Good luck trying to beat me now, Jacky Boy."

* * *

With Jack's next draw, he now had seven cards. More than enough to pay his Loan Tokens as he gained them... But he wasn't going to throw away his cards to give Garome what he wanted.

Garome pointed down to one of his face-downs. "I activate my Trap, Purse with a Hole."

His first face-down rose up, revealing itself to be a trap. The artwork depicted a green money purse with sad eyes. It had a butt hole ripped out from the back, and gold coins were falling out from it.

"When my opponent has 6 or more cards in their hand, I can make them randomly send cards from their hand to the Graveyard until they have 5 cards left."

Jack looked down on his Disk. His hand, displayed at the bottom of his screen, had two cards highlighted: Synkron Resonator and Red Resonator. Jack complied with Garome's actions by pulling out these two cards and dropping them into his Graveyard.

Garome sneered. "And for the rest of this turn, you cannot activate, summon, set, or otherwise play cards from your hand."

 _"Mr. Garome has put Jack in a tough place to get out of!"_ shouted the announcer. _"Good job, boss! But without his hand, Jack's cut off from most of his possible plays!"_

The audience started to murmr now. Quite a few of them were expressing annoyance or worry for Jack. But that didn't matter to him; he cared not for their doubts. When it came to dueling, he only respected the opinion of one person: himself.

As far as Jack was concerned, Garome already lost when he gave him a Loan Token.

"Trap, activate!" Jack announced. "Revival Gift! I can Special Summon a Tuner monster from my Graveyard!"

Jack's face-down rose up. The artwork depicted a distressed duelist, who looked at the two cute, bug-eyed, black monsters before him.

A portal opened up before Jack, and those two monsters rose out of it. They carried with them a Red Resonator from Jack's Graveyard. **(ATK 600)**

"My monster's effect is negated," Jack continued. "And 2 Gift Fiend Tokens are Special Summoned to your side of the field."

The two little fiends made their way over to Garome's side of the field. They parked themselves to the right of Chainsaw Insect, turned around and gave Jack bright, happy egaos. **(ATK 1500)**

Garome smiled. "More protection for me, and one more And one more Loan Token for you. I like where this is going."

Another little goblin materialized on Jack's side of the field. Lacking the weight, it was happy and free. And without a crushing debt, it was free to do a little dance. **(DEF 0)**

A weight fell from the sky crushing it.

"I'm not done!" Jack said. His voice boomed throughout the stadium. "Red Gargoyle's effect: when a Red monster is summoned to my field, I can double that monster's Level!" **(Red Resonator LV 2 → 4)**

You can bet that Garome wasn't smiling so much now, because he was now aware of the trouble that was coming. But if he only knew _how_ much trouble awaited him this turn.

Jack pointed up to the sky. "I tune my Level 4 Red Gargoyle with my Level 4 Red Resonator!"

Red Resonator clanged its implements together. The sound caused its body to break apart into four Synchro rings, which surrounded Red Gargoyle. The gargoyle itself also divided its form into four Level stars, which combined with the rings to create a bright new form.

"The heaven and earth shall tremble before the king's might!" Jack commanded. "Let the power of the one supreme ruler be carved into your soul! Synchro Summon!"

The heavens almost ripped apart when the right arm of Scarlight punched itself through the light. The dragon burst forward and rose high above the field, breathing fire and flames at it soared.

"My very soul, Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend!" **(ATK 3000)**

And a third Loan Token took to Jack's field. **(DEF 0)** Loans to the left of him and Loans to the right, Scarlight was now stuck in the middle with Jack.

But Garome was quick to counter. "I activate my face-down card, Effect Tax! A monster cannot attack the turn it activates its effects!"

The face-down card rose up, showing it to be a Continuous Trap card. The artwork depicted a sweating Relinquished being held upside-down by Giltia the D. Knight and Gene-Warped Warwolf. A Kuriboh seemed to have fallen off of Relinquished and landed on the floor below it.

"If you activate your monster's effect, then you can't attack me this turn," Garome informed his opponent. "It's best that you pay off those loans and go for an attack."

Jack let out a small, deep chuckle. "You really think that I would let you have what you want?"

"What...? But..."

Garome looked at the cards in his hand. He had a Spell Card, De-Synchro, to combat the dragon when it would eventually arrived. He hoped that he would survive long enough to use it.

"Once a turn, I can destroy all Special Summoned monsters with less or equal ATK to that of my Scarlight," Jack went on. "You also take 500 damage for each monster destroyed."

The dragon raised its right fist and slammed it on the ground. Waves of flames poured from the crater it left, surrounding the entire field in a ring of fire. The heat meltde the weights, and the three Loan Tokens, and the two Gift Fiend Tokens were instantly incinerated.

 **(Garome: 3700 → 1200)**

"But because of Effect Tax, your monster can't attack this turn!" Garome cackled.

But Jack egao'd.

"What?" Garome hissed. "What are you smiling about?"

"Trap, activate!" Jack declared. "Red Carpet!"

Up come Jack's face-down. The artwork showed a red carpet being laid out for two Resonator monsters, while the shadow of a dragon lurked in the background.

"If a Dragon-Type Synchro Monster is on the field, I can Special Summon up to two Resonator monsters from my Graveyard."

Two portals opened on either side of Scarlight. Synkron Resonator **(ATK 100)** and Chain Resonator **(ATK 100)** rose from the portals and joined the dragon on the field.

Once more, Jack threw his finger up to the ceiling above. Jack threw a finger up into the air. "With my Level 8 Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend, and Level 1 Tuner monsters, I perform a Double Tuning!"

The two Tuner monsters became the two flaming rings that surrounded Scarlight. Scarlight gave way to the eight Level stars, and they created a mighty wall of flame that separated the duelists.

"The king and the Devil, they cross here and now! Touch the soul of the Crimson Dragon, and raise up the cry of creation!"

A crimson dragon rose out of the flames, flying into infinity and vanishing before everyone's eyes. The flames themselves were ripped apart by a powerful and enormous dragon.

"Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 10, Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend!" **(ATK 3500)**

And _now_ Garome realized how much trouble he was in.

"Y-you can't attack me, though!" he stammered. "E-even if you destroy my Chainsaw Insect, I'll still have 100 Life Points left!"

And then, he smiled. "... And if you destroy Toichi, you don't inflict any damage. So either way, I can win next turn."

Garome could see his own path to victory before his eyes: get rid of the Synchro monster next turn, and either attack directly with Chainsaw Insect, or wait for Jack to summon a monster, give him a Loan Token, and make him pay the final price the turn after.

"It's not too late to back down, Jack," the man said to his enemy. "If you surrender now, perhaps I'll reduce your inevitable debt. By a modest amount, I mean."

Jack closed his eyes and smirked. "Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend's effect: one per turn, I can destroy all other cards on the field."

Garome jaw dropped. "B-b-but Effect Tax! Then your monster can't attack-"

"Effect Tax is a Continuous Trap. And once it's no longer on the field, its effects cannot continue."

The tyrant dragon flew high into the air and, like a falling star, descended towards Garome's side of the field. Its right fist punched the ground, and flames spilled forward. Everything on Garome's side of the field was consumed by the fire.

Goodbye to Toichi. Goodbye to Chainsaw Insect. Goodbye to Attraffic Control. And goodbye to Effect Tax. And with them all gone, there was nothing left to protect Garome from Jack's burning wrath.

 **(Garome: 1200 → 0)**

* * *

Garome was now on his hands and knees. His cards had fallen from his hand and Disk, and they were left scattered all around him.

Jack stood over the man, looking down his nose at him. "So, will you keep your word? Or do I have to teach you another lesson?"

Garome looked up to Jack. He could see the audience from the corner of his eye, watching him. Some must have been taking pictures, because he could see flashes from some sports in the crowd. Humiliating...

 _Really_ humiliating. Given how pathetic he felt (and looked!) now, he knew he couldn't challenge Jack again. He didn't want to give up his loan on Martha, but backing out on a deal could turn off potential borrowers.

"Fine," he grumbled. "Consider the orphanage's debt cleared."

The audience burst out cheering. He could see Jack's triumphant, smug smirk. And as he rose back up to his feet, he could hear the cheers and jeers of people all around him. People were praising Jack and insulting Garome. As if he wasn't the most dangerous person there.

Oh, he wanted to remind them of that little fact.

"I may have lost this duel, Jack Atlas," Garome berated. "But I'm still one of the most powerful people in the city. Hundreds, thousands of people answer to me. _This stadium_ belongs to me."

He smirked greedily."And even this duel gave me money to keep my empire growing. So giving up the orphanage isn't a big loss for me."

People in the audience started to murmur and talk. No longer did they speak ill of Garome. In fact, they all were reminded about just how powerful he was to them.

Eventually people went almost completely silent.

* * *

Like the audience, Yugo heard everything Garome had said. And like the audience, he wasn't happy with it at all.

But unlike them, he wasn't so willing to keep quiet and let Garome have his way.

Yugo turned to the others in the room. "Okay, we still need to stop Garome."

But Gongenzaka, Rin and Crow just looked at him sadly. None of them spoke then, because their awkward silence would tell most people what they were thinking.

But Yugo wasn't most people. "Well?"

"What can we do?" Rin asked him. "It's not like we can pay off everyone's debts. And if we duel for him, we just bringing him more money and people."

"I don't think he'll accept another duel from us," Gongenzaka added. "I'm willing to duel for you, but I don't think Garome will risk another deal going against him."

Yugo threw his hands up. "Am I really hearing this, guys?! We can't just let Garome get away with this!"

"All I'm saying is, we need to count our blessings," Crow said sadly. "It sucks, Yugo. I know. But Garome's still too big to knock down. It could take all our lives, and we'd never be able to stop him."

Yugo glared at Crow, but Crow stayed firm.

"We can warn people about him," Crow advised him.

"But a lot of people already know the dangers beforehand," Rin sighed. "They come to him when they're desperate because they think things can't get any worse."

"I know that, but we can't do anything about that. As much as we want to, we can't bear all their burdens."

"Wait. What about contacting the authorities?" Gongenzaka proposed. "Surely they could discover something illegal in any of Garome's actions."

Crow shook his head. "Then Garome could out Jack, Yugo and Rin for participating in underground dueling. And I don't doubt you kids will wind up in a Junior Facility, Lancers or not."

"Maybe we can make an anonymous tip?" Yugo offered. "Or like, Reiji can convince them to get rid of our sentences?"

"Garome knows you all know. If we made a move against him, he'd hit us hard however he can."

Rin sighed. "So it's useless to fight. Let's just take our victory and go home."

"We'll figure something out!" Yugo barked. "We can't let Garome keep winning!"

"I know it sucks, Yugo. But what can you do? We're just a few people going up against an empire."

But Yugo smirked. "What's an empire to a king? A _Duel_ King?"

"An emperor would be more powerful than a king," Rin informed him.

"Oh."

Well, awkward.

"Well, I have an idea!" Yugo said. "I'm going to be this city's savior, no matter what!"

"Yugo, stop," Crow said sternly. "You need to understand that there are no easy solutions here. We can't always win."

"Oh, but that's where you're wrong, Crow," Yugo said. "That's where you're wrong."

Gongenzaka egao'd. "So what's the plan?"

* * *

Two tall, muscular men came to Garome's aid. While he stood in place and smoked his cigar, the men gathered up all the cards he had dropped. Yes, Garome could have simply picked up the cards himself. But he wanted to show Jack - show everyone- that he still had some of the strongest people working for him.

"I trust that this will be the end of our meeting," Garome said to Jack. "Unless you want to fight against 100 duelists in a row first?"

Jack grunted. "I bet you'll be glad to be rid of me, now that you've tasted the fear I can instill in you."

Garome frowned and countered with his own harsh words, "Well, I hope the same for you. Because you're never going to stop me, Jack. Not now, not ever."

"Perhaps we'll see."

"You think being a strong duelist is enough?" Garome scoffed. "Hardly! If I see you try to undermine me again, you'll see just how powerful I really am in this city."

Before either of them could keep talking, they were drawn to the sound of a D-Wheel's engine. The sound grew louder and louder as it grew closer, until finally, they could see the source of the sound as it barreled over through some of the protective glass and landed on the track.

A helmeted Yugo was on his bike, and he was driving down the track. It must have been in auto-pilot, because Yugo was using both hands to wave to the audience.

"Yo, people!" he called out. "You guys want to know something about Garome?"

There were discussions amongst the audience. Garome's eyes followed the bike closely, while also glaring suspiciously at Yugo.

Yugo kept on yelling, "Did you know that he rigs matches? Yeah! He rigs matches to make you lose more money to him!"

People were talking. And they didn't like what they were hearing. Quite frankly, a few people started to rise from their seats and walk out. Or throw their trash over the glass and onto the track. Unfortunately, no one managed to hit Garome. Yet.

 _This will make deal-making harder,_ Garome thought. _I'll have to do a lot of damage control later._

"Doesn't that make you guys angry?" Yugo called out. "This guy sure is an asshole, right? Doesn't it make you want to fight back?"

The response this time was a lot quieter. People sat back down, others averted their eyes. But people weren't talking.

Yugo was confused. "What? Why aren't you guys angry? Come on, we can fight him!"

 _"And do what?"_ a man called out from the stands.

Yugo slowed down his D-Wheel. The engine's sounds grew quieter, so he could hear the man better.

 _"I owe him money! I can't do shit!"_

 _"I don't want him breaking my legs!"_ a woman shouted.

Garome scowled. Well, this was becoming a PR disaster. He had no doubt that people would always come to him. But this demonization of him certainly wouldn't be helping his career.

"But what he's doing is shitty!" Yugo protested. "He's taken advantage of you guys! Scammed you! He can't keep getting away with it, guys!"

 _"And get killed?"_ another man called out.

"I know you guys are scared! The dude's strong, he has a lot of power over you! Just like the Tops!"

The discussions amongst the audience grew. A few people were talking to Yugo, giving him their varying views and questions. They all talked over each other, so Yugo couldn't hear what any one individual voice.

"But look what happened to the city now!" Yugo went on. "When we work as a team, we can beat anyone who tries to stop us!"

The people went silent again. All eyes were on Yugo again, and they were listening to every word he was saying. It... kind of made Yugo nervous, to be honest.

But he could feel Yuya over his shoulder. He could feel Yuya's support. And that moment of caring just made Yugo feel more conviction and determination.

"You're not doing this alone!" Yugo declared. "I'll help you challenge Garome right now! I won't let him bully you!"

Though many people in the audience didn't move, some were rising up from their seats and cheering.

Garome's jaw dropped. He could hear his employees next to him, grunting with annoyance. And he could hear Jack make a smug little "Hmph."

"What does that boy think he's doing?!" Garome snarled. "Someone, go and- and _stop him!_ Get your D-Wheels and run him of the track!"

Garome's men nodded. They dashed across the field, paused to let Yugo pass them, and then made their way towards an exit door.

But the second they crossed the threshold, fists flew at them. They both went down like sacks of bricks.

Garome's jaw dropped as he saw Gongenzaka step over the unconscious men. The man, Gongenzaka nodded to Garome and started walking towards him.

"I stand with Yugo!" Gongenzaka stated.

Garome didn't react fast enough to stop Jack from grabbing him. Jack held Garome's arms and twisted them behind his back, holding him in place.

"I'll also stand with Yugo!" Jack said aloud. "Everyone! I will join the fight against this man!"

And that was when the speaker static came through the air. Everyone went silent and turned to the announcer's booth.

 _"Attention, attention! Yugo Sakaki!"_

Yugo egao'd. He recognized that voice. It was Rin!

Rin sighed. _"I figured you'd go and do something reckless. I can't let you do this alone, so I better join the revolution, too."_

Crow's voice came through, too. _"Count me in, too. Just as long as we don't kill anyone, okay?"_

 _"Garome!"_ Rin declared. _"We'll be patrolling the area. We already have our guard dog blocking the main entrance."_

Granted, the guard dog was like a foot tall and only weighed as much as a stack of pancakes, but Rin didn't need to mention that.

 _"It's just you against the people now. Resistance is futile."_

Yugo threw a fist up to the sky. "Come on, everyone! We can help each other out!"

 _"What about the debts?"_ a woman from the audience asked.

 _He can't hurt anyone if he's no longer alive,_ Yuri offered.

 _No. Shut up,_ Yugo told him.

"Then... We can make Garome forgive them!" Yugo said to the woman. "He's strong because he has power over others! But now's the time to take your power back!"

"You better not let your fear hold you back from this opportunity!" Jack added. "Together, we can bring him down!"

"Stop!" Garome screeched. "STOP! SECURITY, STOP THEM!"

Rin tssk'd, chiding the little man. _"I'm ready to duel anyone who gets in the way! But if any employees want to end your debts now, come and join our side."_

Garome gulped. "No..."

Yugo stopped his D-Wheel and looked to the audience members before him. "Angry mob! Angry mob! Angry mob!"

No one was cheering with him. But they were still shouting and jumping up from their seats. People were climbing over the glass or running onto the track.

"Angry mob! Angry mob... Angry mob?"

Still, no one was cheering. But at least people were gathering around and joining together. Now functioning as an angry mob, people were storming the field and gathering around Jack and Garome.

Garome was starting to sweat. Try as me might, he couldn't escape Jack. And even if he did, he couldn't see a way through the crowd around him.

Someone through a can at his head. Brown liquid spilled from the open lid and ran down Garome's face. This seemed to earn the scornful laughter of people in the crowd.

"So, Garome," Jack said slowly. "I'm willing to protect you from these people."

Garome turned up his head to look at Jack. Tears of joy were running down Garome's panicked little face. "What's the plan?"

"The plan is for you to erase every single debt," Jack replied. " _Then_ we'll talk about getting you out of here unharmed."

" _A-all_ of the debts?" the loan shark gasped. "What about some? Like, j-just the people in this stadium?"

Jack smirked. "We can do that. You'll forgive _some_ of the debts, and I'll save _some_ of you from the people."

People were yelling, laughing, screaming, crying, talking, throwing things at Garome, lighting matches and holding up weapons. And as Garome looked at all these people who were ready to tear him apart, he finally realized how truly, utterly boned he was.

"... Alright, all of the contracts," Garome sighed. "The papers are in my office. But _don't_ think I'll ever be done with you, Jack Atlas."

"You can come after me any time!" Jack yelled. "Go ahead, send your goons after me. I'm not afraid of you!"

And with Jack's defiant words, the crowd burst into a sea of applause.

* * *

After all was said and done, Jack had driven off to parts unknown, leaving Yugo, En, Rin, Gongenzaka and Crow to drive back to the orphanage. En and Gongenaka were riding on the back of Yugo's bike, holding on as tight as they could to Yugo.

"Well, you did it, Yugo!" Rin proudly stated. "You successfully toppled a loan shark's empire and removed the chains of slavery from who knows how many people."

"You were fantastic, Yugo!" Crow said happily.

"Because of you, the city is a better place," Gongenzaka added, with the mandatory egao.

Yugo scratched the back of his head. "Eh, I wouldn't have been able to do anything if you guys didn't come and help me. You saw bad I was failing to win over the crowd.

"No, I saw you helping out all those innocent people."

"I think we all helped out today... Even Yuri, surprisingly."

"But you're the hero of today," Rin told him. "I hope you can forgive me for... Well for everything, I guess."

 _Hey, fuck you, Fusion,_ Yuri said.

"No, fuck you," Yugo scoffed.

Oh wait, Rin looked pissed at him. Did she think he was talking to her.

"No, wait! Not you, Rin! Not you!"

"I guess we all learned a valuable lesson today," Crow said, quickly changing the subject before Rin could throw a punch.

"Yeah," Yugo agreed. "Being a loan shark is a good career. But don't be a dick about it."

"I learned that a true hero isn't someone who saves the day by himself," Rin said. "A true hero can inspire people to fight back and be the change they wish to see."

"Nah."

Rin looked down. "I mean, that's bull. But at least what I said sounds better than your comment."

"At least I'm right."

"So, we didn't learn anything," Gongenzaka admitted.

For a solid minute, no one talked. There was simply an awkward silence as everyone struggled to come up with a way to salvage the conversation. But after a while, they just gave up.

"Anyway, Yugo," Rin began. "Only you could come up with something like that."

"I don't know," Yugo sighed. "I'm sure you could have. Yuya would have done a better job, definitely. Maybe even Yuto..."

"I'm sure Martha will be happy when you tell her all about today," Gongenzaka offered. "Hopefully Mr. Tokomatsu was able to manage the children while we were gone."

"Ah, about that..." Yugo said.

"What?" Rin asked.

"You guys go on ahead," Yugo stated. "Me and En have business take care of."

As they came up to a stop light, everyone parked their bikes. Gongenzaka hopped off of the bike, then placed En on Yugo's lap.

"Take care now," Gongenzaka said to them.

"Be back soon," Rin said.

Yugo nodded. "Thanks. I'll try and be before midnight."

* * *

Yugo sat on a hill overlooking the public park below. They were somewhere in the Tops part of the city; it was, in fact, where Yugo and Yuzu went when they originally jumped into the Synchro Dimension.

Yugo patted En's head. The dog was sitting on his lap, looking up at the stars in the night sky. It was a simple, but very relaxing sight for the both of them. Particularly for Yugo, because the shooting stars reminded him of someone.

"You like the stars, Core?" Yugo said quietly. "There's a meteor shower tonight, I hear. They're super cool, so I thought you'd like to see them."

En let out a bark.

"You think so too, En?" Yugo chuckled. "And from here, you get to look at the city and see how pretty it can be."

A moment of silence passed. Yugo could see En's eyes start to shut. The dog rested is head on his chest.

"You can't sleep now!" Yugo chuckled. "You don't want Core to be the only one to have fun, right?"

Yugo could hear the sound of footsteps against the grass. He turned behind him and looked down the hill. Yuzu (or Rin?) was trudging up the hill and waving to him.

"Hi, Yugo," she said to him. And judging from those two words, Yugo instantly recognized his Rin.

Yugo tilted his head. "How'd you know we were here?"

"I just did."

Once she reached the top of the hill, Rin parked herself next to Yugo. She sat cross-legged and to Yugo's left side.

"I just got the feeling you'd be here," Rin explained. "And I wanted to hang out with you."

Yugo nodded. "That's cool. I was just showing En and Core the sights."

Rin nodded. Her eyes then scanned over the city in the distance, looking for anything notable. She eventually pointed a finger directly across from them, to a circular, roofless building.

"That's that dueling stadium, where they hold the Friendship Cup," she explained. "That's where Yugo and I always dreamed of dueling."

Yugo pointed to another location. "That's the Yggdrasil Foundation building. I don't know what they do, but they have a cool name."

"And that over there... That's the zoo where Yugo snuck into the gorilla exhibit."

"Traumatizing times," Yugo added.

"Remember when those gorillas tried to rip out your hair?"

Yugo chuckled nervously. "Yeah, let's talk about something else."

His eyes rose up to the sky above, back to the stars that shone above them. The moon was in a waxing crescent phase, and the lack of clouds allowed everything in the sky to sparkle clearly.

There was a light that flew across the sky. Yugo nudged Rin and pointed out the shooting star to her.

"Make a wish!" he said to her.

"Well, my wish already came true," Rin said happily. "I have what I want right here."

"I would wish for something cool," Yugo said. "Like a bike that has guns on the side."

That earned him a nasty glare from Rin. "Be serious, Yugo!"

Yugo rolled his eyes. "I _was_ being serious! Jeez..."

"What else would you wish for?"

"To..." Yugo paused for a moment. "To be good enough for you."

Rin looked over to him, surprised. "What? What do you mean?"

Yugo's eyes fell down to En. He started to stroke the dog's head. And for a moment, he didn't answer her.

"Yugo?"

"Honestly, I wish..." Yugo said quietly. "I- It feels like I'll always... always be chasing after you."

"What do you mean?" Rin asked. "I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere."

"That's not what I mean," Yugo told her. "It's like, I feel like I'll never be mature enough. I could never protect and watch over you like you always did for me."

Yugo rose his head to look back up at the stars. He wanted to see the shooting stars, instead of the tears that were welling up in his eyes.

"And I'm not as smart as Yuto, or as skilled as Yuri, or as talented and fun as Yuya. We're a team, but like, I'm the weak link. I'm not as good as them."

Rin put a hand on his shoulder. "That's not true."

"It _is_ ," Yugo insisted. "You're fun, smart, caring, full of life... and you're always ahead of me."

He lifted a hand to wipe his face. Then he looked back to Rin and egao'd.

"Yugo..." Rin said.

"You're like a shooting star," Yugo told her. "Like, you're high above me, and you move so fast. It's like I can't ever reach you and be like you."

"But I don't want Yuya, or Yuto, or Yuri," Rin told him. "I already have my own shooting star."

"Yeah, right," Yugo said sarcastically.

"My star is full of compassion," Rin explained. "He's always there for me, because he's a hero. He's _my_ hero."

"No, Rin-"

"He'd never hurt me, and he's the _one_ person I can always count on. He calls me out when I'm being a brat, but he sees the good in me. Even when I don't see the good in myself."

"Rin, stop."

"And I wish that I could be like him," Rin said proudly.

Yugo blushed. "Rin... You can't mean that."

"Though he's also a dummy sometimes," Rin added, flatly. "Because he doesn't get that I'm right and he's the best thing that's ever happened to me."

There was a moment of silence between them. The only sounds came from crickets in the distance and En's quiet snoring. The moment wasn't awkward or painful. Rather, it was a moment of peace and tranquility.

Yugo pressed his lips against Rin's forehead. But a feeling of embarrassment made him pull back soon after.

Rin didn't feel that same embarrassment. She responded by kissing Yugo on the cheek.

"I'm really happy to be here with you, Yugo," she said to him.

"Honestly," Yugo said contently. "... There's no one else I'd rather be with right now."

Rin rested her hand on Yugo's shoulder, then gently put a hand on En's back. Together, the three silently watched the stars above. They had no thoughts about anything outside of that moment, and those they were able to share it with.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Jack was originally going to use Red Reborn of Call of the Haunted to revive his Tuner. But when I saw that the original Jack used Revival Gift, I had to include it. Bonus points for actually being extra useful for Jack's combo.**_

 _ **Next time: Yugo goes toe-to-toe with a duelist from the Link Dimension.**_


	59. Highway 410: A Link to the Future

_**A/N: It's a little early, but I had time to write this after finishing the Halloween chapter early. And since Yugo was winning the poll by a big margin, it seemed pretty obvious that he was going to win anyway.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: Sometimes, Yuri invites Serena over to play with the pets. But he and Serena often get into arguments when Serena defends the cats for attacking Yuri's plants.**_

 _ **Description: Someone from the Link Dimension decides to ruin everyone's day.**_

* * *

Yugo, Rin, Gongenzaka and En sat on a wooden bench, watching the train tracks before them. They were in the courtyard of the Sakaki-Akaba station; a train station in the rich part of town. The trains ran throughout the country, but also had their own trains that ran through the Dimension Highway, going to and from other dimensions.

If you guessed that they were going home, you'd be right. But if you guessed that they'd be going home soon, you'd be wrong. Because the train, like all the busses and planes of the world, was late.

Yugo, who sat in-between his friends, stretched out his and and leaned back in his seat. "Remind me why we don't just let Clear Wing take us home?"

"First off, stop asking us that every three minutes," Rin responded.

"Second, Clear Wing always seems to drop us off at the most inconvenient places," Gongenzaka answered.

"Pssssh," Yugo pssssh'd. "Clear Wing just takes us where we _need_ to go."

"Yes, I'm sure we needed to be on Martha's roof," Gongenzaka said, rolling his eyes.

"The train is more fun, anyway," Rin said. "I've never been on one, and it seems really relaxing."

But you know what isn't relaxing? A man crashing through one of the station's second floor window. And unfortunately, a man just came crashing through one of the station's second floor windows.

The quartet immediately rose up from their seats and ran over to the man. He was on his back, groaning in pain. His body and the ground around him were littered with the window's shattered glass.

"Are you okay?" Rin asked him hastily. "Guys, we need to get him to the hospital!"

The man let out another loud groan. Then he pointed up to the window he fell from. Yugo looked up to the window. "Someone's up there?"

"Stop... him..." the man wheezed. "Stop him...!"

Yugo nodded to the man. He jumped up from his spot and started running towards the station, leaving the others to help the man up.

* * *

The man had fallen from the dimensional control room; a room made specifically for opening and closing paths to other dimensions, keeping track of customers and employees involved with this travel, and detecting any anomalies or problems associated with the traveling process.

The employee wasn't there anymore. Instead, the man who pushed him was. This man, dressed in a one-piece, dark green bodysuit, was running his hands over a control board. He was studying the buttons and switched, and the functions the labels promised.

"Come on..." the man said under his breath. "Where is it?"

He hurriedly moved over to a bulletin board and searched the papers on it. He only had so much time before he would be found out; he needed to be in and out before any more complications could arise. And having to push that guy out of a window was just another unplanned, unforeseen hiccup that was totally not his fault, but still took away more time off his clock.

He heard the door handle shake, trying to open the locked door. Someoneone was already coming for him.

"Freaking..." the man mumbled. "Why is it so hard to find-"

They were shaking the handle harder now. They were banging against the wooden door. He could even hear the person kicking and grunting.

From the corner of his eye, he could see a bright light flash on the other side of the door. And then a bright flash on _this_ side of the door.

A young, tomato-haired boy was now in the room with him. He had his right arm lifted up in the air, and he was holding up a white card.

"Thanks, Clear Wing!" the boy said as he looked up to his card.

"Who the hell are you?" the man snapped.

"Who are the hell are _you_?" Yugo snapped back. "I'm the guy that's here to kick your ass for what you did."

The man narrowed his eyes. "Wait... I know you."

Yugo blinked. "What?"

" _You._ We're in this mess because of _you_."

The man's expression became angry. He took a step back from his opponent, then held his left arm before him. His Duel Disk - much smaller than any Yugo had scene before - activated, creating a pale green blade.

Yugo brought his hand down, then held up his own Disk. He placed Clear Wing in his Extra Dec compartment, then activated his Disk's blade.

"So, you want to do this the hard way?" Yugo said to him. "Fine by me!"

"I'm going to bring you down, asshole!" the man hissed.

Yugo's Duel Disk spoke: _"FIELD FIELD: CROSSOVER, ACTIVATE."_

"This is gonna be fun," Yugo said with an egao.

"I'm going to be a hero for bringing you down," the man said.

Yugo tilted his head. "What?"

"We're not going to let anyone get hurt by you, Zarc!"

Yugo's eyes softened. He took a step back, pressing his back against the door. It'd be a lie to say that he wasn't caught off-guard by that.

"Hey, I'm not Zarc!" Yugo protested.

"Shut up, kid!" the man barked. "Are you going to keep talking, or are you going to duel me?"

Yugo sighed. "Whatever, I don't think talking will do any good now."

He aimed his blade at his opponent. "We can talk _after_ I win."

 _ **"DUEL!"**_

* * *

Action cards rained down from the ceiling. The man looked at the fall, clearly confused by the display. But he shook his head and decided to put that aside for now.

But Yugo was feeling good about this. Not only did he have the advantage of Action Duels, but this meant that Reiji finally succeeded in updating their Duel Disks to support Link Dimension fields.

"I'll go first," the man stated. "I summon Token Harvester Goblin."

The man placed a card on his blade. Before him materialized a bald, green-skinned goblin that was about half its size. It wore ragged clothes and held an empty wicker basket, but sported an egao on its face. **(ATK 1400)**

"The summoning conditions are one Token monster!" the man stated. "I use Token Harvester Goblin to Link Su-"

"But that's not a token!" Yugo groaned.

"It's a _Token_ monster, and the summoning conditions are for a Token monster."

"But-"

"Tokens are different from tokens."

Yugo tilted his head. "I don't get it."

The man sighed. " _Token_ is the name of the deck, which supports monsters with _Token_ in their names."

Yugo's eyes widened, and he nodded to his opponent. "Ooh, _ooooooooh_. Ah, okay. Yeah, I get it now."

He didn't.

The man let out a long, exasperated sigh. "So, the summoning conditions are one Token monster. I use Token Harvester Goblin to Link Summon!"

A dark, metallic square frame appeared at the center of the field. On each corner and each side was an arrow, pointing outwards.

"I set Token Harvester Goblin in the Link Marker!"

The man's monster jumped onto the bottom-center arrow. The monster disappeared, and the arrow became red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1, Token Fiend."

The frame became a red light, and that light took the shape of a new form. When it faded, a bat-like humanoid with black fur took hovered at the center of the field. **(ATK 600)**

"I play the Spell card, Monster Reborn."

A portal opened up on the field, right behind Token Fiend. Token Harvester Goblin rose up and hid behind the Link monster. **(ATK 1400)**

"When Token Harvester Goblin is Special Summoned, I can banish it to Special Summon two Crop Tokens."

The goblin's egao faded as it started to crack. Its body shattered, and soccer ball-sized beets (one red and one orange) appeared on the field. **(DEF 0)**

The man pointed to the middle of the field, where Token Fiend was standing.

"The summoning conditions are at least two Token monsters!" he stated. "I use my Crop Tokens and Token Fiend."

The square appeared again, and the man's monsters disappeared into the bottom three arrows, highlighting them in red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3, Token Master!"

The square yadda yadda you now how this goes. Now there was a gray-skinned, silver-haired man with sharp ears. Most o his body was hidden in the black cape he wrapped around himself, but one could make out the top of his white dress shirt. **(ATK 2300)**

"Wow, that's impressive," Yugo said sarcastically.

"Do not mock me, Zarc!"

"Oi, don't tell me what I can or can't do!" Yugo barked.

The man held up his hand again. "Behold Token Master's power: I banish a Token monster from my Gravecard to create a Master Token by one of its link markers."

The a ghostly image of Token Fiend appeared behind Token Master, to its right. The image shattered into sparkles, and those sparkled reformed as a copy of Token Master's own, severed head. **(DEF 0)**

"When a Token is Special Summoned to my field, Token Fiend gains this effect: when it is used for a Link Summon, the Link Monster gains 500 ATK for every 'Token' monster on the field, other than itself."

 **(Token Master ATK 2300 → 2800)**

The man held up a card, then set it in one of his Spell/Trap Zones. "I set a card and end my turn here."

He ended his turn with two monsters on his field, 2 cards in his hand, and 4000 Life Points. Not a bad start to the duel, though not a particularly explosive or memorable one, either.

* * *

Yugo held his hand on his deck. He wanted to draw, but he could feel the nagging presence of his brothers around him.

 _Okay, I think we can handle this guy, easy,_ Yuya told him. _What kind of card do you want to draw?_

 _I don't want help,_ Yugo told him.

 _But this guy could be dangerous,_ Yuto told him. _We should sync up and start strong, or we risk letting him get ahead._

 _We'll be fine,_ Yugo insisted. _If we want to show him that we're not a bad guy, let's try and keep this fair._

 _Understood,_ Yuya responded.

Yugo sighed, and he could feel his brothers retreat from the world around him.

In truth, he was bullshitting them. Now was not the time to worry them about Zarc, or... whatever that was last time. And he didn't want to risk syncing with them and having it happen again.

He drew a card and added it to his hand. His own cards, he thought, were enough to fight this guy.

"I'm surprised to see you in this form, Zarc," the man said to him.

Yugo grumbled, "Yeah, yeah, keep thinking I'm Zarc."

"You can't fool me. We all know how you changed shape."

"Whatever," Yugo answered, rolling his eyes. "I summon Speedroid Horse Stilts."

With the sound of galloping hooves, a horse-like machine materialized before Yugo, then threw its head back to let out a neigh. **(ATK 1100)**

"At least you're using friendlier monsters," the man said. "What's wrong, Zarc? Have you lost your edge?"

"You sure do talk a lot for someone who knows about Zarc," Yugo said tersely. "Why can't you cower in fear or avoid me, like half the kids at school?"

Yugo lifted up a card from his hand, revealing his Red-Eyed Dice to his opponent. "When Horse Stilts is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Speedroid monster from my hand."

Red-Eyed Dice materialized beside its horsey friend. **(ATK 100)** And then, as if predicting that Yugo would activate its effect, it leapt into the air and landed on its side, with the two-dotted side at the top. **(LV 1 → 2)**

"I tune my Level 4 Speedroid Horse Stilts with my Level 2 Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice!"

Tri-Eyed dice became three rings that danced around Horse Stilts. Horse Stilts gave way to three Level orbs. When all the material collided, they created a new light that lit up the field with the wonder of re-used summoning sequences.

"Synchro Summon!" Yugo cried out. "Level 6! Hi-Speedroid Kendama!"

The light unveiled a new monster: Hi-Speedroid Kendama galloped onto the field and floated before Yugo. **(ATK 2200)**

The monster was at the center of the field, to the left side of Token Fiend. Though both monsters primarily looked at the opposing duelists, they would look at each other from the corner of their eyes.

Yugo looked to his opponent. "Hey, do you recognize my monsters?"

He shook his head. "Can't say that I do. Why?"

"Interesting... So you know about Zarc's cards, but not mine."

The man raised an eyebrow. "You say that as though you and Zarc are different people."

"BECAUSE WE ARE!" Yugo yelled. "JEEZ, DON'T YOU GET IT?!"

"... You're lying. I know Zarc when I see him."

Yugo let out a sigh. And then he threw his back as hard as he could against the door, hoping in vain that the concussion he'd receive would override the painfulness of the conversation.

Spoiler alert: it didn't.

"Hi-Speedroid Kendama's effect," Yugo sighed again. "Once per turn, I can banish a Machine-Type monster from my Graveyard, and then inflict 500 damage to my opponent."

The image of Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice appeared before Kendama's sword. Kendama thrust forward and pierced the image through the chest, shattering it. **(Filthy Links User: 4000 → 3500)**

Yugo snorted as he looked at his Disk's screen. Reiji actually made it so the dude's display name was _Filthy Links User_? That was pretty boss.

"I activate the Spell, Blustering Winds!" Yugo went on. "Until the start of my next turn, Kendama gains 1000 ATK."

 **(ATK 2200 → 3200)**

The man bit his lip. "How dare..."

"Battle! Hi-Speedroid Kendama attacks your Token Master!"

Kendama drew its sword, then turned around to face Token Master. Just as Token Master turned to react, Kendama stabbed the creature in its chest.

"Trap, activate!" the enemy duelist declared. "Damaged Reflection!"

The sword went right through the monster's body, with its tip peaking out from its back. Yet, even as Kendama pulled back its sword, the enemy did not die.

 **(Filthy Links User: 3500 → 3100)**

"I can negate the destruction of any monster attacked," the Filthy Links User explained. "Then, I can Special Summon a Reflecting Token; it gains ATK equal to the damage I received."

Next to the Master Token was a new token. A round, silver mirror took to the field, and it was reflecting Hi-Speedroid Kendama in its glass. **(ATK 400)**

 **(Token Master ATK 2800 → 3300)**

The filthy one grinned. "How's that, Zarc? It must _infuriate_ you, knowing that you couldn't satisfy your bloodlust."

 _This guy gets me,_ Yuri commented.

 _Shut up, Yuri,_ Yugo told him. "I'll end my turn here, I guess."

Yugo ended his turn with three cards in his hand, Hi-Speedroid Kendama on his field, and 4000 Life Points. Not the field that most people would envy, but Yugo was satisfied with it.

* * *

With his next draw, the Filthy Links User now had three cards. And wouldn't you know it, the next card he drew would be perfect for the situation.

"I play the Spell, Sheepsgoat!" the man declared. "I can special summon up to three Goat Tokens to my field, but they cannot be used for a Link Summon this turn."

A face-up Quick-Play Spell appeared on his field. It depicted three fluffy, horned sheep-goat hybrids: one red, one white, and one yellow. The three sheep jumped out of the artwork and appeared on the field. **(DEF 0)**

 **Token Master: (3300 → 4800)**

Yugo narrowed his eyes. _I see where this is going._

"Battle! Token Master attacks Hi-Speedroid Kendama!"

His eyes started to scan the room, looking for an Action Card. Nothing on the floor, nothing notable behind F.L.U., though there was one by his foot... nothing notable on the bull-

 _The bulletin board!_ He could see the back of an Action Card amongst the papers and documents. He immediately dashed across the room and extended his right hand to grab the card.

A small, explosive force from behind him sent Yugo flying forward. He slammed into the bulletin board, and paper started to fall over him as he slid to the floor.

 **(Yugo: 4000** **→ 2400** )

"Reflecting Token attacks you directly!" the man declared.

Yugo looked to the Action Card, which had fallen onto the floor and now rested beside him. He picked up the card and added it to his hand.

But as he looked at the flying head coming his way, he decided not to activate the card. He didn't want to be attacked, but he didn't want to waste his Action Card so easily.

 _Gotta think like Rin,_ was his reasoning. _Don't be reckless, think ahead a bit more._

The head opened its mouth and sank its teeth into Yugo's blade. The Disk started to sparkle and crackle, and its light started to shine brighter.

 **(Yugo: 2400** **→ 2000** )

When the light became unbearable, Master Token winced in pain. It backed off from the Duel Disk. Then it flew over to the Filthy Links User's side of the field and hid behind Token Master.

The man looked down at Yugo. "I end my turn here, Zarc."

The man's turn ended with him having two cards in his hand, and 3100 Life Points. With Token Master in his Extra Monster Zone, and his Main Zones filled with Tokens, he had a lot of protection from his opponent's wrath.

* * *

 _Okay, Yugo,_ our hero thought to himself. _Time to rock this cuck._

With his next draw, he had four cards. But before he'd play any of them, he wanted to improve his field presence.

"If Hi-Speedroid Kendama is in my Graveyard while I control no cards, I can Special Summon it to the field!"

A portal opened up on the ground before Yugo. His monster rose up and joined Yugo on the field. **(ATK 2200)** Notably, according to Yugo's Duel Disk, it was now in one of Yugo's Main Monster Zones.

"By banishing Speedroid Horse Stilts from my Graveyard, I can send a WIND monster from my Deck to the Graveyard."

Deck spits out a card, Yugo grabs it and drops it in the Graveyard. It was a tale as old as time: a strategy that existed since the early days of Duel Monsters.

"I sent Speedroid Den-Den Daiko Duke," Yugo explained to his opponent. "And I can banish it from my Graveyard and Special Summon a Speedroid Tuner from my hand or Graveyard."

Yugo threw down a card onto his blade. Speedroid Dominobutterfly materialized by his side, then flew over to stand with Kendama. **(ATK 100)**

"Spell, activate! Pot of Acquisitiveness!"

A Quick-Play Spell materialized before Yugo. It depicted a black-gray pot with gold trimmings and a ruby near the top. Also, it had a disgusting human face.

"I can shuffle three banished monsters into their owners' decks, then draw a card."

The pot let out a deep, booming laugh. The cards of Speedroids Red-Eyed Dice, Den-Den Daiko Duke and Horse Stilts flew from the top of the pot and floated in front of Yugo.

Yugo grabbed the cards and brought them into his deck. His deck automatically shuffled itself, then spat out a card for him to draw.

Yugo egao'd. _You were right, Yugo._

 _I though Pot of Acquisitiveness would help,_ Yuto responded. _I've used it in my deck, too._

 _It just got me Monster Reborn, dude. Now I'm hella gonna win._

Yugo threw a hand up. "Now, I tune my Level 6 Hi-Speedroid Kendama with my Level 2 Speedroid Dominobutterfly!"

After a long, re-used summon sequence, Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon was now in Yugo's Extra Monster Zone. **(ATK 3000)**

"Next, activate the Spell, Monster Reborn!"

A portal opened up behind Crystal Wing, and Hi-Speedroid Kendama made its glorious, second return to aid its master. **(ATK 2200)**

"Time to win!" Yugo declared. "Battle! Crystal Wing attacks-"

 _Wait, Yugo,_ said Yuto.

 _Eh? What?_

"What's the hold-up, Zarc?" the Filthy Links User asked, filthily.

The man seemed to notice something by his foot. He bent down to pick up... Wait, was he picking up an Action Card?

 _Shit. I need to attack now, Yuto!_

 _Link monsters don't have levels._

Yugo's eyes widened. _What?_

He looked down at his Duel Disk. Token Master's card lacked Level Stars. Or DEF stats. And the arrows that had appeared on the field matched the ones on the card.

 _If you attack Token Master, you can't activate Crystal Wing's effect,_ Yuto went on. _You'd just destroy your own monster and lose Life Points._

Yugo smacked his palm against his forehead. _Oh, shit-fuck. Thanks for the save, Yuto!_

Crap, though. As he looked to his opponent, he could see that the Filthy Links User had already snatched up the Action Card. Judging by the surprised, but pleased look on his face, it was a good one.

Crap.

"Battle," Yugo stated. "Crystal Wing attacks your Reflecting Token!"

"Not so fast!" the man declared excitedly. "I activate this card, Evasion! Your attack is negated."

Yugo sighed. "Then I attack one of your goat things with Kendama."

Kendama galloped forward. Its sword pierced the body of one of the sheep-goats, shattering it. **(Filthy Links User: 3100 → 900) (Token Master ATK 4800 → 4300)**

Yugo sighed again. "And I'll end my turn here."

* * *

The man drew his next card, all while looking fairly confident in himself. His eyes were directly focused on Yugo's face, as if daring him to make a move against him.

Yugo just stared right back, his own face full of determination. He wasn't going to let this man intimidate him, or make him believe in Zarc.

"Can I ask you something, Zarc?" the man asked him.

"THE NAME IS YUGO, NOT ZARC!" Yugo barked.

"Okay... Fusion?"

Yugo turned around and grabbed into the bulletin board. Calling upon the pure, raw power of his anger, he was able to rip the board clean right off the wall.

"NOT YOU, TOO!" he screeched. "IT'S YUGO!"

He slammed the board into the ground, then gave it a good stomp. That was enough to create a crack in the middle of the board.

And then the board burst into flames. A surprised Yugo just sort... just sort of walked away from that and tried to pretend that didn't happen.

The Filthy Links User just watched this, mouth agape. His eyes followed Yugo until he returned to his spot by the door.

"What?" Yugo snapped. "What are you looking at?"

"You just..."

"Yeah, that happens sometimes," Yugo said defensively. "Ignore it, _now_."

The man gulped. Now the danger of Zarc was starting to sink in for him.

But he couldn't let his fear get to him. He shook his head and tried to let all those worried thoughts fall out. He had Zarc on the ropes, and he could bring him down. He could come home a hero and end the war before it started.

"Forget I said anything," the man said. "I summon a Token Harvester Goblin."

It took bravery to use the same monster, knowing that it didn't have much ATK. It also took almost no effort, because it meant that, should this ever be described to, or written for someone, they could simply re-use previous dialogue. So the man placed a card on his blade. Before him materialized a bald, green-skinned goblin that was about half its size. It wore ragged clothes and held an empty wicker basket, but sported an egao on its face. **(ATK 1400)**

"The summon conditions are at least three Token monsters!" F.L.U. announced. "I set Token Master, Master Token and Reflecting Token in the in the Link Marker!"

A metal square appeared at the center of the field again. The monsters that were called all jumped forward, tapping the bottom three arrows. The two arrows on the sides lit up, along with the arrow at the top side, closest to Yugo.

"Arise, arise, oh great overlord of the Token Empire! I call for your aid in bringing justice for your people! Link Summon!"

It was a scraggly, thin-limbed humanoid with gray skin. Its long white hair fell over its face, obscuring it entirely Only its glowing yellow eyes, and the gleam of its fangs could be seen. It wore a black tuxedo, though many parts were ripped or worn. It stood like a hunched-over rabbit on its hind legs, while its knuckles rested on the floor.. And its dark, feathered wings cast a heavy shadow over its body.

"Arise! Link 6, Token Overlord!" **(ATK 3000)**

The monster was breathing heavily. And it was staring at Yugo. Yugo couldn't help but feel unnerved by how the creature's eyes failed to blink or look away from him. The way it stared almost made him feel like it was hungry for his flesh or something.

Haha. But the monster wouldn't eat him, right? W-well, he wasn't the tastiest brother, anyway! That would be Yuri. So yeah, the monster would eat Yuri before him!

Oh wait. They shared a body. Still, the monster should eat Yuri.

The monster was beside Crystal Wing, who also seemed displeased by the monster staring at Yugo. It looked at the monster and let out a small, low roar, as it to warn it against attacking the boy.

"Token Overlord's effect!" the man explained. "It gains 500 ATK for every Token on the field, including itself."

For those having trouble keeping score at home, that meant Token Overlord gained 1500 ATK: 500 for itself, and 1000 for the two Goat Tokens. **(ATK 3000 → 4500)**

The man held up a Spell Card. "Next, I activate Token Thanksgiving. I can destroy all tokens on the field, then increase my Life Points by 800 for each one destroyed."

A Spell Card appeared on the field. It depicted goblins, not unlike Token Harvester Goblin, happily grabbing some of the many different tokens that floated around them.

One goblin stepped out of the artwork. They looked over the two Goat Tokens and reached out to grab one of them.

But while the tokens were being picked up, the Filthy Links User was looking around the room. He moved over to a control panel, searching for something.

The goblin scooped the first sheep-goat into its basket, then moved onto the second one. Once both little creatures were safely stored in its basket, they, the monster and the card faded into a sea of rainbow sparkles.

 **(Filthy Links User: 900 → 2500) (Token Overlord ATK 4500 → 3500)**

The man dashed over to a wheeled chair in the corner. He touched the seat, then triumphantly lifted up an Action Card into the air.

"Overlord's effect!" the man declared. "Once per turn, when tokens are destroyed, I can banish my entire hand and Special Summon Overlord Tokens, equal to the number of cards I banished."

He kept his eyes firmly on Yugo as he walked towards the field. His right hand took all the cards it held and dropped them into his Duel Disk, one by one.

And just like that, three versions of Token Overlord's head appeared behind it. In unison, they briefly let out a horribly raspy, wheezing gasp, as if they were choking for air. **(DEF 500)**

 **(Token Overlord ATK 3500 → 5000)**

"So, these are Action Duels," the man commented. "And everything is true."

Yugo took a step back. "So you know about Zarc and Action Duels?"

The man nodded. "We've seen you before, but we've never seen a true Action Duel before."

Yugo raised an eyebrow. He lowered his head and put his hand to his chin.

"I think..." he muttered. "I think I know what's going on, then..."

"What's going on, is that I'm going to defeat you!" the man declared. "My Token Overlord attacks Hi-Speedroid Kendama!"

Token Overlord lunged across the field. It jumped onto Kendama, knocking it to the ground. After throwing its head back, Overlord bared its fangs and but into Kendama's sword.

It pulled hard against the monster's body, making it squirm. Both Yugo and Crystal Wing looked at it nervously. They could only watch helplessly as the monster pulled at the sword and ripped it off of Kendama's body.

Yugo shook his head. No. No, he couldn't let this happen. He couldn't hear Kendama's cries for help like he could with the dragons. But he could just tell that the monster was suffering. And there was no way that he'd allow that.

"Action Card- Miracle!" Yugo declared. "My monster isn't destroyed in battle, and any battle damage I take is halved."

The Action Card appeared on the field before Yugo. Seeing the sight of this card seemed to repel Token Overlord, who bounced backward and returned to its side of the field.

 **(Yugo: 2000** **→ 600** )

Yugo walked forward and reached out to Hi-Speedroid Kendama. His hand touched the side monster's head. It looked to Yugo with sad eyes.

"I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough," Yugo said to him. "But we're going to win this. I promise."

Kendama didn't move. But Yugo could tell that the monster was pleased with his words. Though at the same time, he could also sense the pain that prevented the monster from communicating more.

The Filthy Links User watched it all. His hands rested by his sides, and he found himself unable to move. He was paralyzed. Not by fear, but by confusion and apprehension.

This wasn't the Zarc he was expecting, or the Zarc he first saw. But then, who was he, if not Zarc? Was he Yuya Sakaki? Was he really Fusion?

He closed his eyes. "I end my turn here."

His field consisted of three token monsters and Token Overlord. His hand was empty, his Life Points were at 2500, and his mind was going cloudy with thoughts of doubt.

* * *

With Yugo's next draw, he now had four cards in his hand. And honestly, he was a little proud of himself for being so conservative with his cards this duel.

"With my Scale 3 Speedroid Passinglider, I set the Pendulum Scale!"

Yugo placed a card at the edge of his Disk's blade. Beside him, a column of light rose to the ceiling. Speedroid Passinglider was carried up through the column until it reached the ceiling, where it stayed. The number 3 appeared below its body.

"Once per turn, I can send a Speedroid Tuner from my hand or field to the Graveyard. Passinglider's Pendulum Scale's increased or decreased by that monster's Level, until the end of the turn."

Yugo pulled a copy of Speedroid Dominobutterfly from his hand and dropped it into his Disk's Graveyard slot. The number underneath Passinglider changed from a 3 to a 1.

Yugo lifted up another card from his hand. "I summon Speedroid Ohajikid!"

With the placement of another card, Yugo summoned forth a humanoid robot in cowboy gear. The monster was placed to the very edge of Yugo's left side of the field. **(ATK 1000)**

"When Ohajikid is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Tuner from either player's Graveyard," Yugo explained. "I can Special Summon it, then immediately Synchro Summon a WIND Synchro monster witht these two cards."

A portal opened up behind Crystal Wing. Speedroid Dominobutterfly rose from the ground and took its place on the field. **(ATK 100)**

Yugo threw up a hand. "I tune my Level 3 Speedroid Ohajikid with my Level 2 Speedroid Dominobutterfly!"

Their forms became the rings and stars of a Synchro Summon. They danced together and converged to create a new light of hope.

"Synchro Summon! Level 5, Wind Turbine!"

The monster was an industrial fan, trapped in a boxy frame. It had thin metal limbs, with three-fingered hands and two-toed feet. At the top was a small, bulbous orb, almost like a diminutive head for the creature. **(ATK 1400)**

The man looked to the Turbine. It was... it was summoned right at Token Overlord's Link Marker. So this guy knew about the rules of Link Summoning?

He looked back to the boy. "How did you know about-"

"We've been studying Link Summoning for a while," Yugo told him. "We don't know everything about them, but we have a pretty good idea on what they're like."

 _Reiji's been studying them,_ Yuri said. _You didn't even know that Links didn't have Levels._

"FUCK YOU, YURI!"

The man took a step back. "H-hey, what the hell?"

Yuri tssk'd. _Way to create an inter-dimensional incident, Yugo. For shame._

Yugo blushed. "Ehh.. Y-yeah, so..."

She shook his head furiously. Somehow, he hoped that shaking up his brain would somehow shake up Yuri, too. Kind of, like, swirl him around and teach him a lesson. But judging by Yuri's continuous, snarky scoffs and chuckles, it wasn't working.

 _Yuto, stop!_ Yuto said sternly. _You're making us look bad!_

 _Yugo already looks bad,_ Yuri commented.

"SHUT THE HELL UP, YURI!" Yugo screeched. "GO BACK TO EATING PLANTS!"

 _... Bitch. You said you'd never tell-_

"I-what's going on?" the Filthy Links User asked.

"YURI EATS PLANTS! YURI EATS PLANTS!" Yugo howled. "HE ALSO STOLE MOM'S UNDERWEAR!"

"Jeez, this man's a lunatic..." F.L.U. said under his breath. " _This_ is what Playmaker's been talking about?"

 _Well, Yugo and Yuto watch porn together._

Yuto wasn't visible. But you could just _tell_ that that his face and indignant right then.

"YEAH, SO WHAT?!" Yugo barked back. "At least I don't leave my porn out on the table!"

 _How else would everybody know what I'd like for Christmas?_

 _Shut up, everybody!_ Yuya roared.

At once, Yugo snapped at attention and stood up straight. Beside him, he could feel Yuri and Yuto also mimicking his pose. All three of them were surprised.

Yuya appeared before them, hands on his hips. He didn't look too happy.

 _Did you forget that we're in a duel right now?_ he asked them.

 _ **Sorry,**_ the other three said in unison.

 _That's more like it,_ Yuya told them. _Now, let's try and win this duel, okay? It's important._

 _ **Right. Sorry, Yuya.**_

Well, that was humiliating. Yugo looked to his opponent, who just looked very confused and displeased with the situation. _Same, dude._

"Well... we, uh..."

This was awkward.

"Ignore all that," Yugo told him. "B-by s **e** nding a WIND **monster** from my deck to **the Grave** , I c **a** n reduce Wind **Turbine's Level** by that monster's **ow** n Level!"

Card: Ejected. Tri-Eyed Dice: Dropped. Graveyard: Filled. The perfect recipede for dialing back Wind Turbine's output and putting it on a lower setting. **(LV 5 → 2)**

Yugo could feel it. They could feel it. The adrenaline of the wind. Even when they weren't riding, the spiritual source of speed was flowing through their body. Yugo didn't want to synch up like this, but...

" **W-we** tune our **Level 8 Crystal** Wing Synchro **Dragon with our Level 2 Wind Turbine**!"

... but it felt so good. It felt safe, and it made him feel strong. Like they belonged together.

Yugo, Yuto and Yuri were bound together. They all sought escape from their embarrassment through dueling. Yuya was right, but they didn't want to think about that. They just wanted to think about one thing: Accel Synchro.

 **"Accel Synchro!"** they declared. **"Level 10, Clear Wing Accel Dragon!"**

The two Synchro monsters have given way to a new, sleek dragon. Clear Wing Accel was the paragon of innovation, with a sleek body and brilliant, clear wings. And as it took center stage on the field, it spread its wings and let a radiant light pour down on their opponents. **(ATK 3300)**

The Filthy Links User balled his hands into fists and clenched his teeth. So far, the monster had nothing on Token Overlord. But with the power he could feel coming off of the dragon, and the feeling of dread he got from the boy, he wasn't in love with the situation.

He turned his back around and looking around his side of the room. Acton Card, Action Card, there had to be an Action Card here somewhere.

 **"Clear Wing Accel Dragon gains 500 ATK for every Synchro Monster in our Graveyards,"** Yugo explained. **"Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon and Wind Turbine are the only Synchro monsters in our Graveyards."**

 **(Clear Wing Accel Dragon ATK 3300 → 4300)**

"That's not enough to beat Token Overlord," the man commented as he looked under the desk that held up a control panel.

 **"Not yet,"** Yugo said. **"We activate the Field Spell, Rising Air Current."**

Yugo's blade extended a slot out from undereatth Passinglider, big enough to fit a card. He placed his Field Spell on the slot.

A strong wind blustered from behind Yugo. It was a cold, strong breeze that seemed to lift Yugo's monsters a few feet higher. Now Kendama was able to rotate and move into a proper position.

 **(Hi-SpeedroidKendama ATK 2200 → 2700) (Clear Wing Accel Dragon ATK 4300 → 4800)**

"Still not enough..." the other man mused.

 **"Not yet,"** Yugo said again.

Eyes on the prize. He'd been scanning the room ever since the start of this turn, looking for an Action Card. His brothers extended their gazes behind and either side of him, giving him a perfect field of vision.

 _Fusion, head's up,_ Yuri said.

Yugo looked up. There was a card at the top of the door, sitting underneath the door frame. he turned around, jumped forward, and grabbed the card with his fingers.

 **"Action Card- Great Wing. The ATK of one monster is increased by 1000."**

 **(Clear Wing Accel Dragon ATK 4800 → 5800)**

The threw a stack of papers off ot a table. To his dismay, an Action Card didn't fall from the papers.

"Hell..." he humbled.

He dove to the ground and started rifling through the papers. Maybe it was here, and he didn't see it. Maybe he could find one. The odds didn't look good, but he needed to find it, and he needed to try something, and he needed to keep himself from losing this turn, and he needed to beat Zarc, and he needed-

 **"Battle!"** Yugo declared. **"Crystal Wing Accel Dragon attacks Token Overlord."**

No. No. The man threw his head up. Maybe there was a card stuck on the ceiling. he'd just need to climb up onto a table and grab it, or-

 **(Filthy Links User: 2500 → 1700)**

No action cards on the ceiling. Maybe there was one on the control panels again. Or maybe he'd...

 **"Hi-Speedroid Kendama attacks your Overlord Token,"** the boy went on. **"And when this monster attacks, it can inflict piercing damage."**

The Filthy Links User looked back at the field. Kendama was moving towards him. No, towards the tokens. It was moving faster and faster, until it starting galloping towards them.

It was without a weapon, but it was still able to do damage. It ran right through a token and crashed into him.

 **(Filthy Links User: 1700 → 0)**

* * *

The monsters faded into sparkles that scattered all over the room. And Yugo walked through those sparkles and approached his opponent, who was still on his hands and knees on the floor.

He looked up to Yugo. He fell back into a sitting position and put his right had to his Duel Disk. The screen lit up, and the guys fingers went to tapping.

"Don't get too close, kid," the man advised.

"You're not a bad duelist," Yugo said to the man. "It was kind of fun, dude."

Yugo extended a hand out to the man. The man just stared at it, wide-eyed and mouth hanging open.

"What..." the man mumbled.

"I didn't get your name," Yugo said to him.

The man didn't answer.

"Name's Yugo," he explained. "Not Fusion, not Zarc. Yugo."

The man looked down at his Duel Disk. "Flu."

"Eh? That's a weird name."

"I guess it is," the man said. He chuckled softly.

"Mind telling me why you're here?" Yugo asked him.

"Only if you promise not to destroy me."

Yugo but his other hand to his chin. "Hmm. You drive a hard bargain, but I think I can agree to that."

The man moved his hand away from his Duel Disk. But rather than taking Yugo's hand, he forced himself to stand up on his own, without the boy's help. A small act to show his distrust, to show that he wasn't so willing to trust in Yugo just yet.

"I'm here to destroy the portals between dimensions," Flu explained. "Hurry and talk; I set my Disk to warp me home in thirty seconds."

"But we Lancers could just use our Duel Disks to travel," Yugo told him. "What's the point?

"To cause some disarray for you guys. Make things difficult for you guys to communicate and coordinate, and unable to focus on attacking us."

Not entirely truthful, as the second part of the plan was to launch attacks while the other side was in shambles and trying to figure things out. But a little whitewashing of the truth wouldn't do any harm, would it?

"We're just doing what we can to keep you guys from striking first," Flu went on. "We saw Zarc; we can't let him get to us."

"I see."

Yugo closed his eyes. He could sense the fear the man held in his hearts, and how it could be heard in the tone of his voice. He could understand that fear of Zarc completely. Especially after everything that's happened, Yugo himself was a little afraid of Zarc. And he was Zarc's legacy.

"Honestly, I get scared of Zarc, too," Yugo said.

He egao'd though.

"But don't worry about him, okay? We stopped him before."

He could feel his brothers around him. They all put their hands on his shoulders to show their support and agreement.

"I promise, we'll do whatever I can to make sure he never hurts anyone again."

"... Link VRAINS," the man said slowly.

"What?"

He could hear a strange sound in the air, and light poured through his eyelids. But when Yugo opened his eyes, Flu was gone. He was alone in the room.

* * *

 _Link VRAINS? What does that mean? Will the Link Dimension stop attacking? Or was that a warning or something?_

These were Yugo's thoughts as he exited the train station. He made his way over to his friends and his dog, who were eagerly waiting for him by the bench.

"What happened, Yugo?" Rin asked him.

"I got held up," Yugo said absently.

Rin frowned. "What happened? Are you okay."

"I'm fine," he told her. "Just thinking about stuff, you know?"

He looked around the station. A female employee was under the broken window, sweeping glass into a black dustpan.

"Where's the falling-out-of-the-window guy?" Yugo asked.

Rin egao'd proudly. "Well, the good news is that I apparently have healing powers now. I can repair physical wounds and heal them without leaving any scars?"

Yugo gasped. "That's so cool!"

"What she's not telling you, is that the man still went to the hospital," Gongenzaka said flatly.

"Haha, yeah!" Rin laughed nervously. "I said he had to go to the hospital just in case! Just to make sure, you know?"

"He refused to leave the scene, so Rin punched him and yelled at him for being reckless," Gongenzaka explained. "She ended up opening a wound, he started to bleed out, and an ambulance had to come and pick him up."

Rin was egao-ing, but sweating bullets now. "Haha! Gongenzaka, you old so-and-so! You didn't need to mention that part, silly!"

She threw her arm back to knee him in the stomach. But Gongenzaka didn't allow that: as soon as her elbow as close to him, he grabbed it and prevented it from making contact.

"I could do without the hitting," he said to her.

"...Sorry."

But luckily for Rin, she would be spared from any more awkwardness. (Aside from her imagining this moment years later and cringing.) The sound of an approaching train's chugging could be heard.

The group looked over at the tracks, watching as the train passed through a tunnel and came towards them. It slowed down and came to a screeching halt before the bench.

"... Wait," Yugo said. "I forgot my bike!"

Gongenzaka facepalmed.

"Don't worry, Yugo," Rin said. "It's going to be put in the train's bulky luggage section. All the info is written at the back of your ticket.

"Oh, thanks."

Yugo slouched and let out a relieved sigh. And then he straightened his back out and let out a gasp.

"Where's my ticket?!"

Rin sighed. She dug into her shorts pocket and presented something to Yugo.

"I have your ticket, you dip," she said. "I didn't want you to lose it, so I kept it with."

Yugo let out a relieved sigh. "Thanks for covering me, Rin."

The train doors opened. Yugo scooped up En and walked inside. Rin followed him, carrying her own bag of luggage. Gongenzaka covered the rear, carrying both his and Yugo's bags.

* * *

The trio of kids sat underneath a window, looking out at the station. While Rin got comfy in her seat, Gongenzaka had turned around to look out the window.

"... What is that orange light coming from the broken window?" he wondered. "And that... that isn't smoke, is it?"

Yugo would know what to say, if he had been listening. Instead, he was lost in his own little world, mulling over the event that unfolded that day.

 _It all comes back to Zarc. I'll have to tell Reiji about that when we get home. But then I'll have to tell Yuya, Yuri and Yuto, too..._

He sighed.

 _Telling them's gonna suck hard. I wish I could just_ not _tell them. Like, pretend it never happened._

As Yugo leaned back in his seat, he looked up to the ceiling of the train. It was clean and empty. He wished that his head could be so blank, empty of worrying thoughts.

 _We've been having so much fun. And I like syncing up with them. But they need to know why we can't do it anymore._

One hand tucked itself behind his neck, while another patted the dog on his lap. En seemed surprisingly relaxed about being on the train. It was probably comfier than riding in a bag.

 _I guess they'd understand, though. They're my bros._

He let out a heavy sigh, then looked to Rin. She had her hands folded over the backpack in her lap. She looked to him and gave him an egao; something that he was quick to return.

 _Telling them is the responsible thing to do. That's what Rin would do._

Yugo had a lot of stuff coming up now. He just knew that this was only the start of their problems. But as he looked to Rin, he could only feel serenity in his heart.

Rin rested her head against his shoulder. And Yugo leaned his head against hers. Both of them felt their eyes getting heavier. It was just so comforting for both of them to have each other, to relax in the other's company.

And soon, the sound of the train riding down the tracks put them both to sleep.

* * *

 _ **A/N: And thus, the fourth arc is concluded. I'll try and pump out some bonus chapters, which will hopefully include a Sawatari/Reiji story, a Yuri story, and a Rin story. The Halloween chapter will also be coming out soon.**_

 _ **Until next time, stay linked.**_


	60. BONUS Level 11: Spooky Seances

_**Fun Fact: Serena never celebrated Halloween before. But she's eager to dress up and join in the festivities. She's going as a cat this year.**_

 _ **Description: Sawatari holds a seance at his house. Shallow attempts at tearjerking ensue.**_

* * *

It was five days before Halloween. For any kid, those days leading up to Halloween just feel so, so long. For the Lancers though, who rarely had time to enjoy the riches of their youth, it was an anxious wait for them.

Between fighting in a battle royale, dimension-hopping, going to jail, fighting in a tournament, liberating a city, liberating another city, getting kidnapped, dueling on the high seas, fighting in another battle royale, fighting a dragons and/or becoming a dragon, liberating a school from parasites and worrying about the threat of the Link Dimension, they were often on edge.

They wanted to enjoy Halloween, they really did. But you never know what dangers could be lurking ahead. And Halloween would be the perfect time for something to go wrong.

They needed a break from all the struggling. Which is why Sawatari invited all his friends over to his mansion for a little party. Something to help them unwind and get into the Halloween spirit.

Yuya, Yuzu, Gongenzaka, Mieru, Sora, Dennis, Shun, Reiji, Crow, Tanner, Frank, Amanda, Tsukikage and Hikage were now standing and waiting for Sawatari in his "clear room." A room that, according to Reiji, was always kept empty in case a rich person suddenly decided that they needed a new type of room. Like a storage room, except not like a storage room at all.

So far, they were all hanging out in various places in the room. Yuya, Yuzu, Gongenzaka and Sora hung out by the doors, with Sora sitting on the floor. Reiji, Dennis and Shun were discussing something in the middle of the room, with the ninjas staying close by. Mieru had sandwiched herself between the ninjas and started talking to them. Crow and his kids were looking out of a window, in awe of Sawatari's enormous back yard.

"A pool..." Crow muttered. "And is that a golf course?!"

"I wish Sawatari was my dad," Amanda said wistfully.

"After seeing this house, so do I."

Meanwhile, Sora rose up and pulled a bar of chocolate from his pocket. He pressed it against his nose and took a deep sniff.

"What are you doing?" Yuzu asked hi.

"Trying to ignore the scent coming from down the hall."

Sora sniffed the air. "So, is anyone else wondering about that smell?"

"No," Yuya responded.

"No," Yuzu responded.

"No," Gongenzaka responded.

"Nope," Dennis answered.

"Not at all," Shun replied.

"Not even a little bit," Crow confessed.

A "No" came from each one of Crow's kids.

"It doesn't matter to me," Reiji said simply. "I'm putting it aside for now."

"I already know," Mieru told him.

Hikage looked over to Mieru. "What is it?"

The doors immediately swung open, and Sawatari burst into the room. He had a proud egao on his face, while also holding a long, thin box under his right arm.

Sora was nearly his by the door. Luckily, he was able to dodge the door beforehand. He and the others decided to crowd around Sawatari and get down to business.

"That smell is coming from my skunk apes," Sawatari explained. "From my skunk ape room."

 _Actually, I think I want to go home,_ Serena said to Yuzu.

 _Yeah, I don't see this party going in a not-stupid direction,_ Ruri added.

"This is ridiculous. Skunk apes aren't real," Yuzu commented. Or rather, Rin commented; the girl's eyes shifted to orange, indicating that Rin was in control now.

"They _are_ real," Yuto told her. "You're just being close-minded."

"And you're just being a gullible nerd, Yuto."

"A nerd that's _right_ ," Yuto countered. "Something I can't say about you."

"Keep an open mind, Rin," Yugo advised.

Amanda raised her hand. "May I see the skunk apes?"

"Go ahead!" Sawatari said happily. "Just don't let them out of their cages, and don't not look them directly in the eyes."

"Thanks!"

Amanda immediately ran passed Sawatari, her brothers in tow. Crow egao'd and gave Sawatari a nod before following his kids out of the room.

 _I wanted to see the skunk apes, too,_ Yuto admitted.

 _Maybe we'll be able to take a peek later,_ Yuya assured his brother.

With that out of the way, Sawatari said to his people, "I suppose you all want to know why I summoned you here!"

"You said you wanted to have a fun seance," Yuya responded.

"Yes, that's right!"

Sawatari started to sweat now. He kind of forgot he told them about his plans; he wanted to surprise them and earn their shock and awe.

Oh well.

"Reiji! Shun!" Sawatari said, totally not at all trying to change the subject. "I'm surprised you guys actually showed up!"

Reiji fixed his glasses. "I _do_ owe my Lancers my presence from time to time. You deserve respect after your performance in the war."

"He wanted to hang out with Yuya," Shun said under his breath.

"Shun's here because it gave him a reason to stalk his sister."

Shun let out a little grunt of annoyance. He had no real counter to that, but Reiji wouldn't have said it.

"Well, I'm glad to have you here," Rin said to her brother.

"So am I," Sawatari added. "The more the merrier, so let's get to contacting the dead!"

Mieru made a very loud scoff. Everyone turned their attention away from Sawatari and looked to her.

"Do you know how to contact the dead?" she asked dismissively.

"Sure do!" Sawatari said proudly. "I've got a Oujia board right here!"

Sawatari pulled the box out from under his arm. He proudly walked over to Mieru and presented it to her. Notably, the picture on the box showed that the board was made out of glass, while the planchette was black and covered in gold, vine-like markings.

Mieru slapped his hands, causing the box to fall to the floor. The sound of glass breaking could be heard from the box. To which Sawatari responded by letting out a scream.

"I don't trust any of you with a Ouija board!" Mieru insisted.

"My board!" Sawatari cried.

"You'd all contact a demon or get possessed. And none of you are trained in the arts of mediumship like me."

"Why is this girl even here?" Shun groaned.

"She's my friend, too!" Sawatari told him. "At least, she was until she broke my board..."

"Mieru, that wasn't nice," Yuya said to his friend.

"Hey, I just saved you all from being possessed by Satan's minions!" Mieru barked back. "And you know, I'd never let anything happen to my darl...li..."

From the corner of her eyes, she could see Yuzu. She could see the angry expression, and the murderous rage in her eyes. And she could see the dark flames of fury and vengeance burning around her, threatening to consume and destroy everything in their path.

"... My darling friends!" Mieru said quickly. "Luckily, I'm not only a clairvoyant, but I'm also versed in the arts of mediumship."

 _What's a mediumship?_ Yugo asked.

 _It's when you eat a lot of fast food and get fat,_ Yuri lied.

 _Oh._

"Gather 'round, everyone!" Mieru instructed. "I'll act as the conduit, and we'll be able to contact the dead safely."

Mieru immediately dropped to the ground, kneeling and resting her butt on her feet. She pulled a blue crystal ball/apple from her dress pocket and placed it before her.

Everyone gathered around her to sit down. Gongenzaka sat to her right, between her and Yuya. Yuzu sat next to Yuya, Sora sat next to her, and Dennis sat next to him. Reiji sat directly across from Yuya, with Shun and Tsukikage on either side of him. The others filled out the rest of the space, forming a nice, wide circle.

"... I can't believe Rin doesn't believe in skunk apes," Yuto muttered.

"Maybe we can contact a dead one," Rin said sarcastically.

"Maybe you two can both stop talking," Yuzu grumbled. "You're interrupting the seance."

"Sorry..."

"Sorry..."

Mieru cleared her throat. "Hiiragi, that's actually a good idea. I could try and contact specific people."

"That'd be so cool, Mieru!" Yuya exclaimed.

"Do you have any requests?" Mieru asked, blushing.

 _I swear to God, Yuri. If you ask for Hitler or something, I will bring this body right back home._

 _I..._ Yuri thought-mumbled. _I wasn't..._

 _Good._

"I don't know any dead people," Sora said. "At least, not any that I didn't kill myself."

Sora took a bite from his now-unwrapped chocolate bar.

"... Unless toys have souls."

"Toys don't have souls," Shun said, rolling his eyes.

"Though they can become possessed by souls," Reiji added, without any doubt or inflection in his voice.

Shun looked to him in confusion. "... What?"

"Maybe we could talk to a ghost that can tell us about the underworld," Yuya wondered.

"It's nothing special," Reiji told him.

"It's true," Mieru agreed.

Shun looked at both of them in confusion. "... What?"

Yuzu raised her hand. "I... It would be really nice if I could talk to my grandfather."

"I'd like to talk to my family," Yuto said quietly.

"I'd especially like to talk to Akari," Ruri said.

"I was gonna suggest Satan," Yugo admitted. "But now Yuto's made me feel bad, so I want to go with his idea."

"What about you, Mieru?" Gongenzaka asked.

Mieru blinked. "Uh... Well, I do have someone I'd like to talk to, but I'd rather not talk to them now, haha!"

The laugh was pretty forced, yet Gongenzaka nodded solemnly to it. Though years later, he would admit to being very curious as to what she meant. But for now, he chose not to press on further and get involved in what seemed to be private matters.

"You all have good suggestions!" Mieru said quickly. "But since I liked Yuya's first idea the best, we can go with that."

"Nah, I'm fine with Yuto getting his family," Yuya said kindly.

"You're such a kind man, Yuya~" Mieru said, egao-ing.

"He certainly is~" Yuzu said with an egao.

But her ~ was more like a paper fan, aiming to strike Mieru at the back of her head and knock her skull into orbit.

The intense feeling wasn't just heard through her actions. One could feel a dark, looming aura above everyone's heads. Mieru's apple, seemingly sensing this great darkness, started to crack.

Mieru looked to her apple, and her eyes bulged out of her head. "... S-so l-l-l-let's get to it, then, shall me?"

"We shall," Sawatari agreed. "Commence, dark witch."

 _"I'm not a witch!"_ Mieru roared.

Sawatari yelped.

Mieru waved her hands over her crystal ball/apple. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh, which also let out errant thoughts and distractions in her head.

Mieru mumbled under her breath, but didn't really speak any known words. She kept waving her hands. Her breathing became lighter and slower.

Yuzu folded her hands on her lap. Her thoughts were about meeting Yuto's family. As much as she wanted to hear from her grandfather, she wanted Yuto and Ruri to have the peace and closure she was never able to get.

Yuya had his eyes on Mieru, though he kept drifting over to Yuzu. (She was just too cute not to look at.) His thoughts were mostly about Yuto, too.

Finally, Mieru spoke. "Dennis..."

"Who? Me?" Dennis chuckled. "I'm not dead! Haha..."

"Bea," Mieru whispered. "Bea Macfield..."

"Sorry, but Nana Macfield isn't dead."

"She wants you to know... She loves you."

Dennis started to sweat. "But... But she's not-"

"She loves you," Mieru said again. "Delly."

"... I just need to go make a call real quick."

Dennis jumped up from his spot and made a beeline towards the door. He ran straight out of the room and slammed the doors back behind him.

In Yuya's head, he could hear Yuri chuckling. And in Yuzu's head, she could hear _Serena_ chuckling.

 _Asshole,_ Yuya and Yuzu said to their counterparts.

"Well, that was exceedingly awkward," Sawatari said. "Let's keep going. See if we can make someone else run away crying."

 _"Yuto,"_ Mieru said immediately.

Yuya's eyes shifted to gray, showing that Yuto was in control now. He placed his hands on the floor and leaned in closer to Mieru.

"Mom?" Yuto gasped. "Dad? Grandmother? Akari?"

"You... school..."

"Who are you?"

 _I'm pretty sure Mieru's just fishing and making this up,_ Rin said, in a tone that just made you feel like she was rolling her eyes while saying it.

 _As long as you don't butt in and ruin something happy for Yuto,_ Ruri responded.

 _... Sorry._

"School..." Mieru said again. "School... picture. School picture."

Yuto raised an eyebrow. "Akari liked photography. Is that you, Akari?"

"You... you picked your nose in a... a school picture. It was... They laughed at it."

Yuto frowned.

"That's Akari, alright," he said flatly. "But I guess that confirms you're being honest. No one but my family and Ruri know about that."

"And me," Shun added. "Ruri showed me."

"I still have the picture at home," Ruri said.

"Ruri!" Yuto cried indignantly.

"It's a cute picture!" Ruri protested.

"Yuto!" Mieru declared. "She's telling me... She's telling me to- to visit Akari's grave."

Yuto nodded. "Of course."

"Akari left something there for you."

"What did she leave?"

"That, I do not know. I'm sorry, I can't get a better feel of what she's saying."

"Can she tell you any more?" Yuto pleaded. "Please."

Mieru shook her head. "I can only make out a bit of what a spirit says. Most of their words are lost on me, I'm afraid."

Yuto sighed. He leaned back and straightened himself out.

"Thank you anyway, Mieru," he answered.

"I see another person..."

"What is it?" Reiji asked.

"Hocus pocus," Shun grunted. He crossed his arms. "I'm sure he must have talked to Ruri about the picture earlier. And-"

"A man..." Mieri said. "I can hear his voice, and see his hair. White hair."

"Grandpa?" Yuzu wondered.

"No. But he does know you."

Yuzu frowned. "Who is it?"

"I... I don't know his name," Mieru confessed. "But he's very happy to be dead."

"Why?" Yugo wondered. "Is death really liberating?"

"Not for him. In fact, he sees it as the _opposite_. But that's why he's so happy. He thinks his situation is beautiful."

Yuya and Yuzu looked to each other. They both said, in their most disgusted voices, _"Sergey."_

Yuya looked to Mieru. "Move on to someone else, maybe?"

Mieru nodded, then kept her eyes closed tight. She let out a heavy, deep sigh and started t mumble once more.

After a moment, she said, "Another old man with white hair."

Yuzu perked up.

"He has... pale skin, and dark glasses."

Yuzu gasped.

"Blue eyes..."

Yuzu sighed. Honestly, she felt a little relieved.

"No, pink," Mieru corrected herself. "Pink-violet."

Yuzu's body tensed up. She put her hands on her mouth to stifle another gasp. She could feel the eyes of everyone around her.

She felt Yuya put a hand on her shoulder. She looked over to see him staring at her with sympathetic eyes and a warm egao. "I'm here for you, Yuzu."

"Yuya, this sounds so..."

Tears welled up in her eyes. She really, really did want to know about her grandfather, honestly. But now that she actually could...

"Yuzu," Mieru said.

Yuzu nearly jumped from her seat. "Aaah! Mieru, what is it?"

"He just said your name."

The tears started to pour down her face. She rose up from her seat, letting Yuya's hand fall away from her.

"I... I..." she mumbled.

And then she left.

* * *

Yuzu closed the doors behind her. She didn't want the others to see her cry right now. She didn't want to ruin the fun for everyone.

But she couldn't help it. She could only sob into her heads and try to keep herself quiet enough for them not to hear her. But if he was being honest, it was hard. Hard to worry about them, while also thinking about what happened, and about her grandfather...

She could hear her sisters trying to talk to them. They were all there with her, truing o speak to her. They wanted to console and support her, but she couldn't. She couldn't talk to them right now.

She pressed her back against a wall, then let herself slide down into a sitting position. There, she gave herself time to catch her breath and clear her thoughts. Honestly, she was glad to have this moment of piece.

She looked to the door. Thankfully, it didn't open just yet. But she could hear Yuya tell the others to give her time, and he'll go check on her.

Now Yuzu could feel her sisters leave her. And now Yuzu was left to pick up the pieces she found herself in.

After a moment, the door slowly creaked open. Yuya crept out of the room and quickly shut the door behind him.

"That was... that was pretty intense," Yuya said to her.

"Yeah..."

Yuzu rose up to greet him, and the two joined in a long, tight hug. Yuzu rested her head on his shoulder, though she also stained it with her tears.

"I'm sorry, Yuya," Yuzu muttered.

"Don't be," he answered."

 _"Am I interrupting something?"_ Dennis asked.

Oh hey, Dennis was there. The two quickly broke off their hug and looked to their friend, who was cautiously approaching them from down the hall.

"Oh, Dennis," Yuya said.

"It's okay, Dennis," Yuzu said. She sniffled.

"Yuzu, may I ask what's wrong?" Dennis said.

Yuzu instinctively looked to Yuya. He put a hand on her shoulder and brought her close to his heart. He gave her an egao, and she returned it before looking back to Dennis.

"Honestly, I'm a little better now," she lied. "But... it's really scary. I didn't know what I was expecting."

"Yes, I was pretty scared, too," Dennis chuckled lowly.

"Oh!" Yuzu gasped. "I'm sorry. I can't imagine how you must feel now, with your grandmother."

Dennis's face became soft. He didn't egao, and the pain of the words still clearly stung him. But his face showed no ill will or bitterness towards Yuzu. "Nana was a nice very snarky, too. I'm going to miss that about her."

"We're here if you want to talk," Yuya said.

"Oh, yes," Yuzu agreed. "I know how it is to lose someone like that. I'm not the best person to talk to, but I... I want to listen and help, okay?"

Yuzu egao'd, though it was a far cry from a genuine, happy smirk. "You can always count on your friends, Dennis."

"Admittedly, having such good friends'll help me a lot," Dennis agreed. "But what about you, Yuzu?"

"Eh?"

"I saw you crying earlier. Would it be rude of me to ask about your grandfather?"

Yuzu shook her head. "It's not rude at all, Dennis. Don't worry."

Yuzu dug into her skirt's pocket, producing a pastel pink wallet. After unzipping it, she opened it up and started to search through one of the sections. After a moment, she produced a picture for Dennis: it was a white-haired, balding man with spiky hair on the sides of his head, much like Shuzo Hiiragi. He was sitting in a chair, with a young Yuzu on his lap.

Much of the picture was faded, likely damaged from light, and it was crinkled. The picture wasn't in tha great of condition. It seemed to be fairly old, too.

"This is my grandfather, Hideo. He was usually gruff, but he was always kind to me. And he always yelled at my dad whenever he didn't let me have my way."

"He told us that we could call him on the phone if Mr. Hiiragi wasn't being fair," Yuya explained. "But then Yuzu kind of... got mad at me for..."

"For prank calling him."

"Yeah. At four years old, I was a silly kid."

"He got plenty mad at Yuya!" Yuzu giggled. "He actually gave me a fan to smack him with, since he wanted me to make sure that he didn't keep making those calls."

"It was better than that baseball bat you wanted to use."

Yuzu laughed. "Ah! My gosh, he chased me around the house when I grabbed that bat. If he didn't catch me in time, Yuya would have been hurt."

"We were both silly four-year-olds."

"Yeah."

"What was that song he used to sing to you? The one about rowing?"

"Oh, yeah!" Yuzu exclaimed. " _Row for Love_ , it was called."

Dennis egao'd. "It's really nice that you two have such good memories of him. But I can see why that must have made it hard to lose him."

"Honestly, it's not just losing him," Yuzu said softly. "It's also because I never got to say goodbye."

"Yuzu wasn't able to talk to Grandpa Hiiragi passed on," Yuya explained. "It was really sudden, so no one could tell Yuzu until..."

"So I really wanted to talk to him now, so I could finally thank him for everything. And to say goodbye."

Dennis nodded sympathetically. " _Did_ you get to say goodbye?"

"No." Tears started to well up in her eyes now. "I thought I wanted to talk to him, but then I... I don't know. Got scared, I think. So I ran out and left him."

She sighed. "It's really stupid, I know. I got what I wanted, and then I got scared of it."

"I don't think that's stupid at all," Dennis told her. "To tell you the truth, I'm not too familiar with this ghost stuff. It scares me a little, too."

"That's not it. I mean, I don't think that's it."

"Oh?"

"Then what?" Yuya asked.

"I thought about thanking him. But when I heard he was hear, I thought that he might be mad. Because he wasted his time on someone who wasn't really his granddaughter."

"What do you mean?" Yuya questioned. "Of course your his granddaughter!"

"I'm Ray Akaba," Yuzu said meekly. "I don't think his biological granddaughter. I think he has the right to know, but... How can I tell him that the grandchild he raised wasn't even his?"

"Yuzu, don't talk like that!" Yuya pleaded. "You know that's not true."

"I'm sure he'd understand," Dennis argued. "Didn't your dad accept you? Isn't Shun your brother, too?"

"But they didn't give up their worlds for me!" Yuzu whimpered.

At once, memories of an unhappier time bubbled to the surface. A time when the family was short on money. A difficult time where the a man shows weren't making a lot of money. When his father sold his house to support the man and his girl. Because he wanted to make sure the girl had a stable future when times were difficult.

"My grandfather... He'd probably hate that he wasted his life for a lie."

Yuzu closed her eyes. The tears that didn't roll down her face were trapped in her eyelashes.

She wondered: would he have regretted it now? Losing his home for her? Moving in and being there with her for almost four years? Singing to her, playing with her, teaching her? All because he believed in this lie of a person.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be talking about this," Yuzu sighed. "This is just too depressing for you guys. I know it sucks just to say it, but to hear my _complaining_ -"

"Did your grandfather love you, Yuzu?" Dennis asked.

"Yes, of course," Yuzu responded immediately. "But what if that love was misplaced?"

"Did your grandfather take care of you, and help raise you?"

"... Yes."

"And was your grandfather quick to abandon you?"

"Of course not!" Yuzu snapped. "He was a caring man!"

Dennis winked. "Hmm... So this man loved you and cared for you. He helped make you the person you are today."

"Your grandfather loved you," Yuya interjected. "And I know you feel the same way, Yuzu."

Yuzu scratched the back of her neck. It was pretty embarrassing, showing them her feelings and insecurities. She felt guilty. Even worse, their kind efforts felt wasted on her, because she wasn't changing her mind so easily.

"I'm worried that he'll feel deceived. He thought he was raising his own flesh and blood, but..."

"You two knew I was sad," Dennis said to them. "You wanted to there for me."

"Yes," Yuya confirmed.

"But we're not family, are we?"

"No," Yuzu answered.

Dennis winked again, and egao'd. "You don't need to be related by blood to care and love someone."

"But my grandfather didn't know-"

"And you don't need to be blood to be family. All you need is love."

Yuzu egao'd. "That's super corny, honestly, Dennis."

"Call me Hallmark, because everything I saw is sweet!" Dennis laughed.

"And corny."

Dennis frowned. "I prefer _sweet_. But my point still stands: your grandfather loved you, and you're his family. Love like that doesn't go away just because the blood wasn't there. It's the love that makes you family."

"He might be mad."

"And if he does, he'll get over it!" Dennis said casually.

 _"Because he loves you,"_ Yuya said.

Yuzu sniffled. "Of course. Of course... I sort of knew he'd always love me, but I was worried that... Like, I'm going into this conversation and saying _hey, I'm not your biological granddaughter! How have you been?_ "

"Leaving the room and not talking to him might be more insulting than that," Dennis said to her.

Yuzu blushed. "O-oh. I guess I did do that."

"You better go talk to him, while you still can," Dennis said with an egao. "You got your second chance to make peace with him. You might as well enjoy it, right?"

Yuzu nodded vigorously. "You're... You're right, Dennis. I shouldn't be wasting any more time now."

She moved away from Yuya and wrapped her arms around Dennis. She gave him a big, tight squeeze and held on to him for a moment.

"Thanks," she said softly.

And then she broke the hug and gave him a small but genuine egao. Something that made Dennis want to egao, himself.

"Are you going to come in?" Yuzu asked him. "Maybe talk to your grandmother?"

"Nuh-uh," Dennis said, shaking his head. "I don't think I'm as... _ready_ as you are for that. And besides, I don't really have anything to say to her."

"You don't want to say goodbye to her?" Yuya questioned.

"I like to think she knows how I feel about her."

"I understand," Yuzu said. "But remember, if you want to talk-"

"You and Yuya will be the first ones I come to," Dennis finished.

"We better be."

* * *

Sawatari let out a cackle. He pointed at Sora and let out a huge, bellowing laugh.

"Shut up! It's not funny!" Sora snapped.

Sawatari held his hand over his stomach. He was laughing so hard, tears were running down his face.

"It wasn't that funny, Sawatari," Gongenzaka grumbled.

"I can't believe you'd laugh at that..." Shun said, disgusted.

"That was a really embarrassing time for me!" Sora pleaded.

Sawatari had both of his hands over his stomach now. He leaned forward and kept cackling as loud as he could.

"It was a little funny, I admit," Hikage said. "But it is not so funny as to warrant such a response."

"If you don't stop, Sawatari," Sora insisted. "I'm going to circumcise you with the scissors I keep in my pocket."

Sora rose to his knees, then dug into his shorts pocket. He produced a pair of worn, rusty scissors and pointed them at Sawatari. Sawatari immediately piped up.

Sora egao'd deviously. That always worked. _No one_ liked getting all their hair shaved off.

But everyone's attention turned to the doors as they creaked open. Yuya and Yuzu sheepishly slipped back into the room, then took their original seats amongst the group.

Yuzu sat on her legs, her hands on her lap. She let her hair fall over her face, hoping that no one would see her puffy eyes.

"Yuzu..." Mieru said quietly.

Though tears filled her eyes, Yuzu egao'd. "Don't worry, Mieru. Go ahead."

Mieru let out a relieved sigh. "That's good, because your grandfather really wants to keep talking."

Yuzu nodded.

Miery put her hands over her crystal apple ball. Her eyes rolled back, and she let out a soft, gentle hum.

Everyone sat in silence. They looked between Yuzu and Mieru, waiting or either of them to speak. They could all feel the tension in the air, and they were all hoping to see if Yuzu would be able t handle it.

Finally, Mieru spoke, "Yuzu."

"Grandfather?" Yuzu asked hesitantly.

"Yuzu... My granddaughter, Yuzu..."

Tears rolled down Yuzu's face. But she put on a brave egao for him.

"It's me, Grandpa," she said calmly. "I miss you so much. Dad still has your pictures up."

Mieru reached a hand out to Yuzu. Yuzu nudged herself closer and took the hand with both of hers.

"There's so much I want to say," she went on. "How much I want to thank you for everything you've done for me, and how much you mean to me..."

Mieru nodded. Her face remained unexpressive, which was a bit unsettling for Yuzu, who was pouring her heart out to this person.

"But... But there's something I need to tell you. About me."

"Yuzu..."

"I'm not your granddaughter. I mean, I _am_. But I'm not your flesh and blood granddaughter."

Mieru didn't respond.

"I'm actually... It's a long story, but I'm actually a reincarnation of a girl named Ray."

No response, again.

"And it's really weird to explain, but Ray split into four people. I was one of the four. And I'm not sure I'm related to you by blood, because-"

"Stop."

Yuzu covered her mouth. "Are you mad at me?"

Mieru then began to sing, _"Rowing down on a deep blue sea~"_

Yuzu perked up. _"Can come along and set me free~?"_

 _"I rowed down my boat... and found out where the fish roam~"_

Yuzu looked around the circle, excitement on her face. Her eyes and egao were wide, and she was practically jumping out of her seat.

"I know that song!" Yuya exclaimed.

"That's the song he used to sing to me!" she said joyously.

Shun raised an eyebrow, while Sawatari and Sora leaned in closer.

Yuzu looked back to Mieru and sang, _"And that's when I met the love of my life~"_

And together, the girls sang in unison: "Now grab my hand~ Let's go and see.~ Maybe you can help me~"

"Row for love~" Yuzu sang.

But as Yuzu sang that last lyric, Mieru had one of her own. "Help me~"

Yuzu looked over to Mieru. "Oh?"

"Help me~" Mieru said again. "Help me."

"Mieru? Grandpa?"

"Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me."

Mieru kept repeating the same words over and over. Yuzu reached out a hand to touch her, but Mieru fell backward and landed on her back.

"Help me. Help me. Help me-"

Her limbs were thrashing about wildly. Her eyes rolled up through her head, so only the whites of her eyes could be seen. But her whites were becoming red as they started to become more and more bloodshot.

"Help me. Help me. Help me!"

Panic erupted in the room. Reiji and Shun ran over to Mieru and held her arms down, while the ninjas grabbed her feet. They tried to keep her restrained and unable to hurt herself, or anyone.

Yuzu fell into her hands and knees. She let out a sob, a choking gasp. She couldn't- she didn't know what to do. She was scared.

"Grand-grandpa!" she wheezed. "Yuya! Yuya, we need-"

Yuzu sat up and wiped away the tears on her face. She could barely see with the water in her eyes. She was coughing and choking on her tears.

Yuya immediately rose from his seat and went over to Yuzu. He put his arms around her and helped her to rise up to her feet.

"Grandpa, what- what can I do?"

"You! You can!" Mieru screeched.

"We'll do anything!" Yuya pleaded.

"You! Can!" Mieru screeched. "Get... me... a beautiful, sexy woman!"

The room went silent.

And then, Mieru started to cackle. "I pranked you good, Yuzu! Yer ol' Gramps still got it!"

Mieru stopped thrashing. The boys let her go, then took a step back. They remained quiet, unsure of how to respond to this.

Yuzu looked down at Mieru's body. Mieru was looking right back at her, egao-ing happily.

"That's what you kids get for pranking me!" she chuckled. "I got you guys good, didn't I?"

But Yuzu didn't look happy. The burning fire in her eyes made her grandfather stop laughing.

And then Yuzu took out her paper fan and smacked Mieru so hard across the face, the spirit of her grandfather was exorcised from her body.

"YOU STUPID ASSHOLE!" Yuzu roared. "TRY THAT AGAIN, HUH? JUST TRY IT!"

"What?" Mieru whimpered. "What's going o-"

Yuzu slapped Mieru's face with the paper fan, as hard as she could.

* * *

 _ **A/N: I wasn't too sure about this chapter. I needed to add the drama with Yuzu to give her whole story some weight. But at the same time, I prefer to draw from the well of pre-established issues and trauma. But I really wanted to make this chapter, and Halloween seemed like the perfect time to make it.**_

 _ **Next time: I don't know exactly, since it's time for my scheduled hiatus. I'll crap out bonus chapters in some order, and at various points in time.**_


	61. BONUS Level 12: Yuri on Skates

_**A/N: Dang, I had this story planned out since before the Xyz arc. How time flies.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: Barrett learned about the ARC-V machine sometime during the Synchro Arc. He decided that Serena's happiness and life was more important than Leo's plans, so when Barrett recaptured Serena, he took her to the Xyz Dimension to hide. They were unfortunately caught by Edo, and Barrett was carded.**_

 _ **Chapter Summary: Yuri competes in a figure skating competition, and Rin's determined to see him lose.**_

* * *

The location: some dumb stadium in the richest areas of the city. The city in the Synchro Dimension. Yuri didn't know where, exactly; he just had Yugo drive his D-Wheel and bring him to the stadium.

But why was Yuri here? Because obviously, he was here for the skating competition. You should have known that. You idiot.

But yes, Yuri was involved in a skating competition. And after Yugo made them come all the way to bumfuck wherever-the-hell-this-city-is, the least he could do was allow Yuri to enter a competition and execute a flawless victory under the eyes of his fans.

It would be easy. He'd just go out there, wow the audience with a lariat, do a moonsault or two, then pendulum into a spinning heel kick. Simple and effective figure skating moves that would still amaze the audience. And when everybody found out that this was his first time skating seriously, they'll be even more in awe of his majesty.

Yuri was standing and watching the opening ceremony from the television n the break room. It was a wide, mostly-barren room that only held a flat screen television that hung on the wall, a table full of magazines, a coffee maker, some chairs, and a few of his fellow competitors. There were double-wide doors that lead to the rink, and the sounds of people could be heard on the other side of them.

 _"Things are heating up for the Third District Winter Fair!"_ said an unseen male announcer. _"Hopefully it won't melt the ice!"_

The announcer let out a hearty chuckle. Yuri made his own mocking, nasally chuckle to mimic him.

But then, a familiar voice. "Well, look who the cat dragged in."

Yuri looked to the double-wide doors. A girl was peeking her head through one of the doors. And judging by her sour face and orange eyes, that girl was none other than Rin. _Wonderful._

"I'd recognize that breathtaking voice anywhere!" Yuri exclaimed joyfully. "Rin! Have you come to wish me luck?"

"Are you here just to spite me, Yuri?" Rin asked him. "How did you know that I was asked to judge?"

Yuri stepped back and let out a loud, overly dramatic gasp. "I didn't know you'd be here, honest!"

"Yeah, right."

"Why are you even here?" Yuri questioned. "Since when do you skate? Or do anything besides riding D-Wheels and bitching at Yugo?"

Rin rolled her eyes. "If you must know, my friend Fernando knows the owner of this place. I'm doing him a favor my being a celebrity judge."

"I don't believe it."

"Why not?" Rin scoffed. "Unlike you, I actually impress people with my duels, instead of terrifying them."

"No, I don't believe that you have friends."

"Hey, _screw you_!" Rin yelled. "And, like, you're one to talk, Mr. Oedipus."

"Better to be part of fine arts than to live life as a plebeian."

Rin raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"So where's Serena?" Yuri asked her. "Why don't you be a good little girl and get the bad little girl?"

"Serena's a little too busy to talk."

"Oh?"

Rin stepped forward. She walked from the doorway and moved right up close to Yuri. "She's working on her own short story, because she wants to make you happy."

Rin pressed her finger against Yuri's chest.

"And she's trying _way too hard_ for someone who doesn't deserve her love."

She poked Yuri's chest, a little harder this time.

"But I'm not impressed by you."

Poke poke, ouch ouch. With every syllable in inflections, she poked at his chest harder and harder.

"And I'm going to _make sure_ you don't win."

"Rin, isn't it unfair for a judge to be so partial?" Yuri pouted. Though it was very clear by his tone that the displeasure was fake. He was mocking her, that much was clear.

"You tried to rip us apart and _make Serena the main personality_ ," Rin countered. "And you _literally_ kidnapped me and held me hostage in a tower. So don't go about like you have some moral high ground, _Yuri Sakaki_."

"Fair enough," Yuri said with a frown. "I guess I'll just have to win by using my talents."

"Yeah, good luck with that, Yuri," Rin said scornfully. "Because one of my talents include giving you a big fat _zero_."

Rin put her hands to her lips and egao'd deviously. And now that her piece was said, she spun around on her heel and started to walk away.

"Break a leg out there, Yuri!" she called out. "Really! Break a leg!"

And Yuri egao'd. Because Rin made a fatal mistake: she left him alone, to his own devices. And ice skating wasn't the only talent he could use to win.

* * *

The announcer's voice echoed through the television: _"We have some unfortunate news. Our first contestant, Miss Bento Kusou has failed to appear. Thus, she has been disqualified from the competition."_

The camera briefly panned over the judges, and the announcer went on to introduce them. The first judge was Rin Hiiragi. Next to her was the next judge, Yeagar; a man that looked like a clown. Last but not least, celebrity judge Misty Lola waved to the camera.

Oh, how tragic. Poor Bento was missing. Yuri simply had no idea where she was or what happened to her. That was his story, and he was sticking to it.

Yuri moved away from the television and moved towards a fellow contestant. He took a seat beside a blonde girl in a red, short-length dress.

"You're Monana, right?" Yuri asked her, using a soft voice.

The girl looked up to Yuri. As one would expect from a nine-year-old girl, she was much shorter than the teenage boy. "Yes?"

"I've heard about you. You're the one who's already won all those skating competitions. The prodigy? I'm a big fan."

The girl blushed and egao'd. "Really?"

"Good luck out there, kid!" Yuri said kindly. "I'll be rooting for you."

"Th-thanks, mister Yuri."

"No, really," Yuri insisted. "You're going to need it?"

"Wh-what do you mean?" the girl asked nervously. Her speech was slow, cautious.

"Well, I know there are bad people who must be so jealous of a talented girl like you," Yuri said sadly. "Have you ever heard of Nancy Kerrigan?"

The little girl gasped. "Is she going to attack me?"

"No, of course not!" Yuri said quickly. "At least, I hope not... You never know."

The little girl looked at Yuri with sad, almost tear-filled eyes. She kept silent, waiting for Yuri to go on.

"No, Nancy Kerrigan was a famous figure skater from the Pendulum Dimension. She inspired so, so many people with her impressive skills, her determination, and her strong heart. Kind of like you do every time you skate!."

Yuri leaned in closer and continued, "But jealousy breeds contempt. And in order to try and cut her skating career short, her skating rival's husband had an assailant bash in Nancy's knee."

The little girl let out a quiet gasp. Her hands rose up to cover her whole face.

Yuri shook his head. "I've seen the recordings. It was brutal. The world can be really cruel sometimes, Monana... I can still hear her screams of pain."

The girl looked down at her feet, at her skates. She was starting to grow nervous.

"So... So Nancy Kerrigan's ghost wants to get revenge?" the girl asked. "She wants me to suffer like her?"

Yuri rested a hand on her shoulder. "Sure, why not?"

He leaned back in his chair, then let out a rueful chuckle. "At least I suck at skating, so she'd never go after me. She only goes after the best of the best in competitions."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I don't want that, Monana," he said sympathetically. "I don't want that for you."

From the television, the announcer's voice echoed through the room: _"Our next contestant will be Monana Creditcard, from the Fusion Dimension!"_

Yuri turned back to the girl. "Like I said, good luck. I'll be rooting for your safety, kid."

The little girl looked down at her skates again. Tears rolled over her face and dripped down to her knees.

Yuri then reached out and wrapped his arm around the girl's shoulder. He brought her in tight for a consolatory side-hug.

"Monana, no," Yuri said sternly. "This is important to you. You can't give up on your dreams because of fear?"

"But what if Nancy comes to get me?"

Yuri paused for a moment.

"Yuri?"

"What if..." he said hesitantly. "... She only goes after the best. So if you purposely try to come in second, Nancy Kerrigan won't go after you?"

"But- but wouldn't she go after the person in first place?"

Yuri nodded. "It would break everyone's hearts if you were hurt. But it doesn't matter if she cuts me down, right?"

"Yuri..."

Yuri gave Monana a small egao. "As long as you're safe, I'll count myself as the winner. You just go out there and do what it takes to survive."

* * *

 _"Oooh, a disapointing performance from Monana Creditcard!"_

People weren't amused, to say the least. The audience was confused, and their vocal boos and discussions could be heard through the television Yuri was watching. He could also hear it beyond the waiting room's doors.

 _"I'm giving her a 1,"_ Yeager said. _"I expected a little more from Monana."_

 _"She has talent, but she didn't reach her full potential today,"_ Misty said. _"I'll give her a 3."_

 _"Well, I think she did a decent job,"_ Rin said. _"She really impressed me, and I think she'll be the best contestant. I'll give her a 6."_

Yuri hmmph'd _. Typical Rin, trying to ruin my fun._

No matter. With a total score of 10, Monana would be easy to beat. With that done, Yuri was confident that he secured a higher position in the competition.

The next skater in line was an older woman, appearing to be in her late twenties. She was sitting on a bench and tying her skates when Yuri approached her.

Yuri looked down at her. "Miya?"

The woman looked up. She looked a little wary of the boy, and spoke hesitantly. "... Yes?"

"I just wanted to say good luck~" Yuri said sweetly.

The woman egao'd. "Oh, thank you, I guess... Same to you."

"I'm sure your family will be watching," Yuri went on. "Best not to disappoint them."

"I'll try not to, thanks." What a strange thing for her to say to him.

"I heard your brother, your younger sister and your mother will be watching."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "How did you know that?"

Yuri shrugged. "I wanted to get to know you better, since you seemed like an interesting individual. And your family seems like such a _delight_."

The woman dropped her blade and rose up from her seat. She kept her eyes on Yuri, unblinking.

"I'm sure they won't be upset if you lost," Yuri said, egao-ing. "In fact, you'd probably be doing them a big favor if you threw the match."

"What areyou saying, kid?" the woman hissed.

"Your family loves you. And you love them, right?" Yuri giggled. "I get the feeling that they won't be disappointed in you losing."

And then he took a step closer to the woman. "In fact, it might be a _huge weight_ off their shoulders if you took a dive."

Yuri shrugged, then turned his heel and started to walk away. He simply raised his hand and gave his fellow competitor a polite little wave. "Bye-byeeeee~"

* * *

 _"Unfortunately, we have some bad news to report. Contestant number three, Miss Miya Animename has chosen to drop out of the competition._

Yuri egao'd as he watched the report on the waiting room's television. He could hear the displeasure and confusing coming from the audience. And as the camera panned over to the judges, Yuri relished in seeing a shocked Rin whisper something to the man beside her.

 _"Moving swiftly on, our next contestant will be Mr. Hayate Tokenbackgroundcharacter. But first, let us talk to the judges."_

 _Bah!_ Rin was going to get some spotlight. Yuri simple shrugged and turned his back to the television. Now he just had to meet with his next target and give them a friendly little pep talk to motivate them.

Hayate was already on the other side of the room, standing and pressing his back against a wall. He was staring at Yuri with wide, bulging eyes.

Yuri egao'd. "Hello! I'm-"

The man immediately ran out of the room.

* * *

 _"Unfortunately, Mr. Tokenbackgroundcharacter has chosen to leave the competition."_

The audience wasn't happy. More than one person was yelling at the announcer, or calling for the judges. From Rin's spot at the judge's table, she was unfortunately privy to every word around her.

Elbows on the table, hands holding up her face. She wasn't very happy right now, and she wasn't afraid to hide her feelings through her mannerisms.

She looked to the judges beside her. "See? I'm telling you guys, Yuri should be disqualified."

Misty Lola leaned ahead and looked to her. "We can't afford to lose another skater, though."

"The situation's already bad," Yeagar said. "It's bad enough that most of our contestants are gone; adding a scandal on top of that could kill the skating program."

The announcer went on: _"Our next and final competitor will be Yuri Sakaki, of the Pendulum Dimension."_

Yuri took a single step into the skating rink. But instead of stepping further, he waved to the audience. Blew some kisses, took a bow, and let out a hearty laugh. He was met with applause.

"Thank you, thank you!" Yuri said cheerfully. "I know today hasn't been the best, but I'm going to do everything I can to make every one of you egao~"

The sentiment seemed to be noted by members in the audience, because the cheering grew louder. A few people even whistles, while one person excitedly screamed out Yuri's name.

Rin just rolled her eyes.

 _"You might recognize him as Yuya Sakaki, the Duel King!"_ the announcer explained. _"Yuri is actually Yuya's brother, and they share a body!"_

A little less clapping now. People were excited, but also a little confused. Particularly Yeagar, who just tilted his head and looked on in disbelief.

 _"Yuri will be performing an original routine based on an original story, which he wrote and choreographed himself."_

"Oh dear God and Buddha, no," Rin said quietly.

 _"Please enjoy..."_

"No."

 _"Yuri Sakaki in..."_

"No."

 _"The Apple Girl is Not My First Choice, But I'd Do Her if She Put a Bag on Her Head and Didn't Talk."_

Rin exhaled, buried her face in her hands, and a long, grumbling groan. Amongst a crowd that was clapping politely, she was the sole person who knew what this was about.

"Thank you, thank you!" Yuri announced to the audience. "I'd like to dedicate this performance to someone I'd hope to be my future sister-in-law, because she inspires me to try my best!"

Rin slammed her head against the table.

The music started to play. It was somber, slow piano tune. The tune was slow and deep, but it was starting to pick up steam and play at higher notes.

Yuri slid forward and moved onto the ice. And as he moved, his eyes were squarely on Rin and her aura of suffering.

And then he immediately slipped and fell on his face, ending his performance almost as soon as it started. Turned out that skating was much harder than he thought.

After a moment, it looked like Yuri wasn't going to get up. The music stopped, and two burly figure skaters went out onto the ice to retrieve him.

 _"Well, that was certainly... It was a performance of some sort! But what do the judges think?"_

Yeager held up a sign with a big fat 0.

Mistyheld up a sign with an even bigger, fatter 0.

Rin held up a sign with a 6.

Everybody looked to Rin in shock. A cold, unfomfortable silence filled the room. Luckily though, Rin was more than willing to brake it.

"I gave him points for his charming nature and his beautiful fall from grace," Rin explained. Or rather, _Serena_ explained. "I didn't go higher because he still failed. I don't like failure."

She leaned over the table and looked at Yuri. Figure skaters lifted him onto a stretcher. he was face-down.

"Your charm can only get you so far in a real competition. You need to hone your skills in order to crush your opponents completely. Remember that next time you compete."

Yuri weakly rose a hand to the air, giving Serena a thumbs-up.

Yuri finished the event with a score of 6, earning him second (and last) place; a placement that he truly deserved for all of his work today.


	62. BONUS Level 13: A Damn Recap Chapter

_**A/N: Unfortunately, due to a few issues IRL (namely taking care of relatives and playing Pokemon), writing had been slow for a while. Things should hopefully pick up a little more now.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: In art, Yuri likes offensiveness and pushing boundaries. Testing one's limits and riling them up shows that his work was able to evoke strong feelings from them, and "make them feel alive." To him, offensiveness is an under-appreciated artform.**_

 _ **Description: The Yu boys tell their life stories. They don't do a good job.**_

* * *

"Hi! Welcome to our channel!" said Yuya. "As you'll see in the video's title, this video is going to be our first story time for DuelTube."

Yuya spoke to the webcam that cat on top of his computer screen. He sat in a chair a fair distance away, allowing the camera to capture most of his body.

He quickly added, "I'm Yuya. And my brothers are Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri. Don't worry, they're here with me; we share a body."

My brothers and I thought it would be a good idea to record our adventures," he went on. "Entertain people with our stories, let everyone know what's going on."

The ghostly images of his brothers appeared all around hi. Although the camera, nor the audience would be able to see or hear them in this form, they had no problem waving (or hollering, in Yuri's case) at them, almost to get their attention.

"But I won't be alone."

Yuya's eyes shifted to gray, and his face softened with a smaller, but still warm egao. Yuto was in control of the body now.

"We're all going to be telling our stories," Yuto explained.

Eyes to blue now, showing Yugo was in control. "This was Yuto's idea, anyway."

"Right," Yuri agreed. "He wants that sweet ad revenue to help save up for college."

Yuri (Yuto?) closed his eyes. "Right. It's never too early to plan for our future."

And his (his?) big blue eyes opened up. "School sucks, though. I already know what I want to be when I'm older."

The boy (Yuri?) jumped back a bit. "Wait, what are we even going to school for? Are we all going to have the same career choice? Because I can assure you, I will want the exact opposite of what everyone else wants."

* * *

 **ACT I: Like the Swinging of a Pendulum**

... was the title that Yuya had in mind. He liked to imagine that each and every story would have their own cute little title. It was more fun that way.

"I guess it would be good to start off with everything that happened at the beginning of the year."

Yuya cleared his throat. He faced the camera head-on. His face was relaxed, and his eyes were soft. He looked surprisingly comfortable for someone who was about to talk on camera, unscripted.

"You're already familiar with the Interdimensional War, Zarc, and my duel with Reiji. And I wish I could say that life's been smooth sailings since then."

He let out a small chuckle. "Though honestly, I prefer how life's been going lately. It's great not having to fight all the time."

Yuri had to disagree. But he knew better than to get on Yuya's bad side; if nothing else, Yuya was the strongest and least annoying of his brothers. And he almost didn't not like talking to him.

Yuya continued, "At first, nothing really happened. Me and my brothers had to learn how to adjust to life together, but it went... _well..._?"

He looked to either side of him, looking at the ghostly projections of his brothers. Judging by the shakes of their heads and shrugs of their shoulders, they weren't convinced either.

"It went as well as it could have," Yuya admitted. "But we weren't the only ones having problems; our friend, Shingo Sawatari was having his own issues that he needed to work out."

"Sawatari was in a rough spot with his life," Yuto added. "He was dealing with life after being in war, and dealing with his own insecurities as a duelist."

"Right!" Yugo chipped in. "But he's a cool dude, you know? We had to set him straight and help him out."

"And I didn't do shit to help," Yuri said, a little too proudly. "Yuya, keep talking."

Yuya looked to him. "I- I was going to, but... Okay..."

Now back to the camera. Yuya regained his composure and turned all of his attention back to the audience.

"Naturally, the best way to help someone is through an Action Duel," he informed them. "My goal was to let Sawatari win, so he could feel confident in his skills again. I didn't think losing would be a big deal, as long as everyone was entertained, right?"

"But that wasn't what Sawatari wanted," Yuto said. "He didn't want Yuya to go easy on him; pitying him like that was basically the opposite of what he wanted."

Yuya (Yuya: Yugo Edition)'s eyes turned blue. He leaned forward and raised up his fists in excitement. "He wanted to be treated like a real duelist! He wanted us to acknowledge his strength and treat him like he was worthy enough for us to go all-out on him!"

"And that you did!" Yuya exclaimed. "In the end, Yugo was able to reach out to Sawatari and break through to him. Like a real hero!"

Yuya (Yugo) blushed.

"I... uh... I mean- Well..." he stammered. "Thanks, Yuya~"

"I really wish I could have been even half as intuitive as you were, Yugo."

"You tried, though," Yugo offered.

"Yeah, I guess," Yuya answered, egao-ing.

"But yeah, _I_ did the work."

"You sure did, Yugo," Yuya said, nodding and egao-ing. "And I'm so grateful, I'm willing to tell the rest of my story without forcing you to interrupt."

"Wow, Yuya!" exclaimed the excitable little brother. "That's pretty nice of you."

Yuya egao'd. "So after Yugo helped Sawatari, we..."

He put a finger on his chin. His immediate instinct was to talk about how Reiji was gathering the Lancers to talk about a possible threat. But would Reiji be so cavalier about him spilling this stuff to the public? The Akaba boy _was_ more private and reserved than him.

Yuya decided to stop his train of thought before it derailed and careened into a train station full of people. So on to the next topic.

"After Yugo helped Sawatari, things got a little surprising at You Show..."

Short pause, idea forming.

"... Which is a diverse school, with people from all walks of life. From homosexuality, to people of _all_ races, and tolerant to every religion, or lack-thereof."

"Yeah, that class of Japanese Pendulum kids sure is diverse," Yuto snarked.

"Seriously, I think they're all from the same dimension, too," Yugo added.

"It's not only about race!" Yuya insisted. "Because You Show accepts every student, regardless of race, religion, sexuality, abilities, disabilities, or other traits."

"Very noble," Yuto sighed. "But something tells me that there aren't a lot of gay, transgendered four-year-olds enrolled in the school."

Yuya made sure to lean closer to the camera. "But there _could_ be, everyone. My dad's school is funded on tolerance and love."

 _And abandoning your family,_ Yuri thought to himself.

Yuya cleared his throat. "... Anyway, Yuzu, Gongenzaka, Sawatari, Odd-Eyes - that's my card - and I volunteered to help chaperone the class. We were using Solid Vision to create a beach, so we could enjoy a tropical vacation for the day."

He paused for a moment. No interruptions, comments or questions coming from his brothers. A rare occurrence, but one that he welcomed.

He continued, "But our fun stopped when a girl decided to surprise me with a kiss. Only it wasn't Yuzu; it was Serena, coming in to steal a kiss from me before Yuzu could!"

"You must forgive Serena," Yuri said, sighing heavily. "At the time, she was unaware as to which boy was the superior choice."

Yuya crinkled his nose. "And I guess she still isn't, since she chose you."

Yuya (Yuri's?) jaw dropped. Beside them, Yugo's spirit could be seen pulling at his face and letting out a long, surprised OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!

 _THAT WAS SO FUCKING BRUTAL!_ Yugo hollered.

And Yuto stood behind the scene, a hand brought to his face in an attempt to stifle his chuckles and snorts.

"Yes, I-" Yuri began.

 _God damn, Yuri!_ Yugo said. _Need some ice for that burn?_

Yuri coughed. "Yuya just admitted that he wasn't-"

 _So go ahead with your story, Yuya,_ Yuto said, smirking.

Yuri (Yuya?) nodded. "Right, right."

 _Well, at least Little Miss Yuya didn't- Yuri started._

"The kiss put a... a divide between me and Yuzu, to put it frankly. Yuzu felt betrayed by her sister, who was dealing with her own feelings of loneliness and confusion, herself. I can't really blame Serena for this, really; she was still learning to deal with her own feelings, and the feelings of her friends and family."

 _And her feelings we-_

"But eventually, Yuzu decided that she couldn't put her feelings before her sister, and didn't want her to see Yuzu date the boy she loved..."

Yuya sighed, paused, before he went on. "So for the time being, Yuzu and I decided not to start a relationship just yet; all of us would put our relationships on hold until we could work things out."

Yuya rolled his eyes. Or rather, Yuto rolled his eyes. Yuya's eyes. Yuto rolled his eyes, which were also Yuya's eyes, because Yuto was now taking over the body.

"You neglected to mention one important detail," Yuto said bitterly. "You didn't let your brothers decide on anything; you just told us this was going on."

The other three brothers stood over the body. Yuya looked down at Yuto, turning as red as a red fruit or veggie of some sort. He scratched the back of his neck and gave his brightest, most nervous egao.

 _Yeah, that wasn't very nice of me,_ Yuya admitted. _But I'm glad that we were able to learn from this, move on and... forgive and forget!_

"I think it's time for my story," Yuto said. "About the consequences of Yuya's choice."

Yuri was also egao-ing mischievously. He put a hand to his lips, leaned over to Yuya, and waggled his eyebrows.

 _Oh, another reminder as to which one of us is the superior brother!_ Yuri said cheerfully. _And as to which one is the evil brother._

"Your syntax is abysmal."

* * *

 **ACT II: To Overlay with Love**

Yuto greeted the cameras with a stiff body and a determined stare. He seemed much less relaxed than his brother, though he showed no fear or worry.

"If I remember correctly..." he began slowly. "We wanted to take our minds off the girls and visit family in the Xyz Dimension. But coincidentally, the girls had the same idea."

 _What then followed was several minutes of exposition, recapping stuff that nobody cares about,_ Yuri explained.

"During this time, Yuri managed to piss off Yuya. And everyone realized that I was completely right about Yuri being a tool."

Yuri frowned.

But Yuto egao'd. "But still, he's _our_ tool..."

Insert comedic beat here.

"Wait, that sounds disgusting..." he muttered. "... But speaking of disgusting, I should tell you about Dennis."

What then followed was several minutes of exposition, recapping stuff that nobody cared about. Yuto went on to explain how he had to deal with his anger and jealousy as Dennis grew closer to Ruri, while he himself felt like he could get closer to her because of Yuya's rules.

Yuto went on to explain the climactic duel between the Yu boys and the bracelet girls, providing his own insight and opinions on the ordeal. And after receiving no comments or interruptions from his brother, went on to explain more about their time in the Xyz Dimension. From visiting his family's graves, to dueling Dennis and Sawatari, to him learning a lesson about dealing with his anger and choosing to have a secret relationship with Ruri, because their love didn't deserve to be stifled by Yuya and Yuzu's rules.

Very informative, probably. Yugo and Yuri wouldn't know, because they stopped listening fairly early on in the story.

But when Yuto stopped talking, his hands started clapping. His eyes turned red, and the boy let out a content sigh.

"I'm really sorry about all of that, Yuto," Yuya said. "I guess I really deserved that rant near the middle, too."

Yuya (Yuto?) nodded. "You did, yes."

"Yuto, Yuri, what did you guys think of the story?"

Yugo and Yuto immediately snapped to attention. They flanked their body, while Yuya floated out from the back.

 _I-uh... uh..._ Yuri stammered. _I learned - I learned a lot about Yuto. I had no idea he feltt that way the whole time._

Yuto looked to him, displeased. "You were listening? So what was I feeling, Yuri?"

Yuri started to sweat. _... Sad? Right?_

"And what was your favorite part of the story?"

 _My favorite part is when... you... insulted me._

 _Yeah, that was a good part,_ Yuya agreed.

Yuri let out a sigh of relief. Wow, he was lucky to be a skillful genius when it came to the art of lying and deceiving others. And a skillful genius when it came to everything else he did, too.

Yuri (Yugo?) crossed his arms and kicked up a foot. He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and nodded to these words.

"Yuto didn't really help anyone in his story," Yugo said.

"What?" Yuto asked.

"Yuya tried to help everyone in his story. Yuri's story will probs be about helping people. And I know mine will be about me helping a lot of people."

Yuto uncrossed his arms. And then crossed him again just for emphasis. "I found inner happiness and learned from my experiences. I say that it was a satisfying story."

"Just sayin'," Yugo said, opening and rolling his/their eyes. "Here we all are, making the world a better place. And all you did was get pissed at a random dude."

"We need to salvage this video," Yuri said hastily. "It's time to hear an even better story, from an even better brother."

 _ **"But it's your turn next,"**_ came the three brothers, in perfect, unplanned unison.

* * *

 **ACT III: Love is Like a Parasite**

Yuri's pose was more relaxed than Yuya or Yuto's, and much less dignified. He slouched in his chair and spread his legs wide. His hands rested on the arms. His eyes looked very bored, and they weren't looking directly at the camera.

"Our story begins like any other: Yugo messing up and getting us all in trouble."

The three brothers floated behind Yuri, all nodding in agreement. Hey, even Yugo had to admit that the whole thing started because of him and Clear Wing.

"Yugo teleported us and our friends to Duel Academia, in the Fusion Dimension," Yuri spoke to the camera. "He sent us crashing into a teacher, who threatened to make an example out of us."

Again, they all nodded.

"But I'm not going to say how much of a fuck-up Yugo was, since he's sensitive and shit, and I'm too caring of a brother to demean him."

 _Yuri,_ Yuya said.

"Yes?"

 _Don't._

There was a seriousness to Yuya's voice. Complete, commanding authority. He didn't need to shout or raise his voice. But the way he spoke came off as authoritative as a king's command.

Yuri had no choice but to nod to his brother's words.

"Luckily, Yuya dueled the teacher," Yuri went on. "And because we impressed him or whatever, we were allowed to stay in the school for summer vacation."

 _I really wish we said no,_ Yugo said.

 _You didn't even attend any of the classes, did you?_ Yuto responded.

 _N-no! But..._

"Yuya really helped us out," Yuri went on. "He made everyone happy with his Entertainment Dueling, too. That's why he's my favorite brother."

"Oh, thank you!" Yuya replied.

"Yuya, he's just buttering you up," Yuto said.

"And I'm fine with that."

"Yuya really inspires me," Yuri went on further. "He even inspired me to stop a school bully."

Yuya tilted their head. "Oh?"

Yuri (Yuya? No, Yuri?) nodded. "Mm-hmm. It was when me and Serena were skipping class. We spotted Obelisk students bullying a young boy. And naturally, I just had to step in and take charge in a duel. And because of me, that boy is no longer being bullied."

 _That's some revisionist history you have there,_ Yuto said dryly.

 _And it didn't happen, either,_ Yugo said.

 _Yuya, are you going to say anything?_

 _Yeah,_ Yuya replied. _Keep going, Yuri. I want to see where this goes._

 _This is payback, isn't it? Because of me calling you out?_

"But really, my shining moment happened to come when Jean-Michel and the Doktor launched an invasion on the school. They brainwashed most of the students, leaving just me and Serena left to save the day."

 _And how did you do that?_ Yuya asked him.

"First off, I had to fight the Doktor. He was strong, fused with a bug or something. Really scary, he terrified the shit out of Serena."

Yuri egao'd. "Naturally though, I was able to beat him single-handedly. I defeated the big bad boss _and_ won the girl."

Yuto's ghostly self pressed his hand on the side of his face. Sometime he really wished he taped their adventures, just to shut Yuri up.

"But our job wasn't done, of course. Missions like these have many moving parts to it. Just defeating the Doktor wasn't enough to stop the entire plan."

 _What happened next?_ questioned Yuya.

Yuri nodded enthusiastically. "I had my work cut out for me, of course. My next course of action was to break into the school's control room and fight Jean myself. With fists, of course - no one can beat me in dueling, and I wanted to give myself a handicap to make things a little more fair."

 _Yeah, my favorite part is when none of that happened,_ Yuto said. _Yuya this isn't going anywhere._

 _I don't know..._ Yuya replied. _I mean, even if it's fake, it's a pretty interesting story. Keep going, Yuri._

"Thank you, Yuya~" Yuri chuckled. "Ha ha! I guess it was pretty interesting, really. Especially when I had to stab Jean with a shard of broken glass - all to stop him from hurting the students, of course. Because I already won the fistfight between us."

 _This story is terrible,_ Yuto sighed. _Yuri, your story is terrible._

 _Stuff it for a sec, Yuto,_ Yugo said. _It's pretty kick-ass._

Yuri nodded in agreement. "It _was_ pretty amazing. But things were getting real challenging, since the people controlling Jean unleashed their back-up plan."

 _His what now?_ Yuto asked, raising a ghostly eyebrow.

"Mm-hmm!" Yuri affirmed. "What many people don't know... is that the people who orchestrated the plan were Xyz refugees, who wanted to take over the school and torture Fusion residents, no matter how innocent they were."

Yuri (Yuto?) pinched the bridge of their/his/their/Yuri's nose. "This is why kids at school don't talk to us anymore, Yuri."

Yugo balled his hands into fists. _Tell him, Yuto!_

"I'm sorry you don't want to acknowledge the truth just because it makes you uncomfortable," Yuri said. "I know this must be painful for you, Yuto."

 _Fight! Fight! Fight!_ Yugo cheered.

"Ever since the other dimensions brought in Xyz refugees, there have been more cardings."

 _Wait, is that true, Yuto?_ questioned Yugo.

 _Of course not!_ Yuto scoffed.

"I have statistics to prove it," Yuri added. "Shall I go on?"

Yuya shook their head. "Oh yeah, no. We're not going down this route. I don't want this vlog to be political or controversial; it's all about entertaining people, not causing strife."

"Yuya..." Yuto said quietly.

"We're here to have fun, not to lecture," Yuya told him. "Come on, guys."

"You're right," Yuri said tersely. "Now's not the time to discuss the truth. So I'll just move on and finish my story?"

"Yes."

"No," Yuto said.

"Yes."

Yuri nodded. Then he sank back in his chair, cleared his throats, and gave the camera the biggest, most deranged egao he could muster.

"Communist revolution!" Yuri declared. "Communist revolution! Kill the bourgeois dogs from beyond the Iron Curtain, and spread their wealth to the proletariat! Remove the West's shallow and materialistic ideals from this world, by words or by force!"

Yuri was forcibly pulled back; he could feel himself taken out of the body, and his vision suddenly changed to black.

* * *

 **ACT IV: The Boy With the Dragon-Type Card**

Yuri's eyes shifted to blue. Yugo was now in control. And his body was tensed up. His hands rested on his lap, and his feet were crossed slightly.

"What's a Communist?" he wondered.

"It's someone who's not going to be allowed on camera again," Yuto said. "Go ahead and tell us your story."

"Okay, okay," Yugo said. "So, after the Fusion Dimension story, I went to the Synchro Dimension to help take care of some orphans."

A loose approximation of the truth, but still accurate enough that it had to be corrected. So Yuto decided to let him be.

"So me, our dog En, my brothers, and Gongenzaka were all watching the kids while Rin went go get groceries. Yuto made lunch, and I got to meet ENJOY Chojiro! KOI KOI!"

"KOI KOI!" Yuya added.

And together, the two brothers cheered, _"KOI KOI KOI KOI KOI!"_

"ENJOY!" Yuya cheered.

"ENJOY!" Yugo finished.

"ENJOY! ENJOY!" Yuri said excitedly.

"No, Yuri," Yugo told him, scratching the side of his head. "Two ENJOYs are enough - that's just how it goes."

"I just wanted to fit in," Yuri said. He put both of his/their hands on his lap. "Carry on."

Yugo blinked back into control. "OKay, so! Then Rin went to get groceries, but then she was _kidnapped_ by Garome!"

Yuto crossed his/their arms. "Rin wasn't kidnapped."

Yuri uncrossed his/their arms. "That's how I remember it."

Yuto crossed the arms again. "No, it's not. Yugo, tell the story properly."

Yugo uncrossed the arms, then forcefully slammed his hands against his thighs.

"I'm telling the story now!" Yugo declared. "And I'm saying that Rin was kidnapped, so I had to grab my D-Wheel and ride out to save her."

Yugo paused for a moment. He closed his eyes and, for a brief moment, thought of what to say. Once he had an idea of how to continue his recount, he let out a sigh and opened his eyes to the camera again.

"Okay, so! Then Garome challenged me to a race," Yugo went on. "Winner gets Rin. And since I'm the best D-Wheeler of the Common people, I was sure that I could win and save her."

Moving on, he explained, "But I was too good. I was already catching up. So Garome sent his ninjas onto the track to try and stop me from getting ahead."

Yugo threw his hands forward and pretended to hold a gun. He aimed his imaginary gun right at the camera and let out a small _pew pew_.

"So I shot them! I shot the ninjas as they got closer. But one ninja got too close and..."

Yugo opened his hands, dropping the imaginary gun. He balled up his right fist and lunged it forward, stabbing the air ahead of him.

"And then I had to stab the ninja before he could get to me."

"But because of his dirty tactics, Garome was still ahead. He was closing in on the finish line, and I was running out of time. Luckily, I was able to come up with a solution."

Yugo lifted up his right arm, then started to furiously swing it around above his head. "I _grabbed_ the ninja's! And then I _threw_ it at Garome, knocking him off the road and into the streets below. Where he _died_!"

Yugo egao'd and gave the camera two thumbs up. That was his own personal rating for the story, and he was glad to have enjoyed it.

"Wait, one question," Yuri stated. "If Garome had Rin this whole time, then wouldn't knocking him off the track also send Rin plummeting to her death?"

"No, no," Yugo said, shaking his head. "Because before they fell, I..."

He put a hand to his chin. "I... Uh..."

"Hmm..." Yuri hmm'd. "So Rin fell and died?"

"No! No, but, uh..."

Yugo pressed his fingers against the side of his head, them let out a long, forced hum.

"Uh..."

Yuya snapped his fingers. "Maybe you summed Clear Wing and had it dive down and save her?"

"That's it" Yugo exclaimed. "That's what happened!"

Yugo and Yuya both floated over the body. Their ghostly selves threw their hands up and joined together in a series of high-fives.

Meanwhile, back in the body below, Yuto was rubbing the temples of their head.

"None of this happened," he groaned. "This story isn't real."

" _You're_ not real," Yugo countered.

"... What?"

"Yeah!" Yuri exclaimed, egao-ing deviously. "Yuto isn't real!"

"Yuto's jealous that he isn't real," Yugo snickered.

"We never have to talk to him again!"

Yuto turned to the image of Yuya beside him. "Yuya, this is stupid. Tell them I exist."

"Guys, be nice to Yuto," Yuya chided. "And Yugo, go on with your story."

Yuya's (Yuto's?) jaw dropped. "You can't be serious. This story is a travesty."

"But it's fun and Yugo's having a good time telling it," Yuya answered.

Yuto let out a sigh. "You know what? You're right."

Yuto then stood up from his seat, and moved himself towards the camera. He lifted it up and brought it to his face, showing off his devious egao.

"What Yugo said was true," he lied. "But they didn't tell you that I told him what to do. I saved Rin. And she was so grateful that she confessed her love for me."

Yuto's jaw dropped, and Yugo cried out, "That's not what happened, assface!"

"But I told her that I only love Ruri," Yuto went on. "And then we came online to tell our stories, and through this video, I told everyone that Yugo cried when we watched _Sky of Love_."

"You're a lying buttface!"

And Yuto's jaw was immediately met with his (Yugo's?) fist. Yuto stumbled backwards and fell onto the chair behind them.

Yuto (Yugo? Yuri? Yuya?) grabbed onto the chair's arm rests. They slowly forced themselves to rise to their feet and look at the camera. With one hand, they wiped the blood that dripped down from their lips.

"Oi, how's that, Yugo?" Yuto said. "Guess we proved that I exist."

Yuri floated over the body. _Yugo, you cute, silly idiot! That's my face you hit, too._

 _Can we never go one week without rough-housing?_ Yuya grumbled.

Yugo let out a groan. "Shit. Sorry, Yuto. Guess that was a little mea-"

His left hand rose up and slapped him across the face.

"Okay, that's it!" Yugo yelled. "Come out here and fight me like a man!"

* * *

So maybe the show was a bust. They never really planned on spending the next seventeen minutes of footage to be of them fighting for control of the body and assaulting each other. It was their first show; you can't expect things to go smoothly when you're just starting out. And hey, at least they know where they went wrong, so they can work on it!

One of the first things they would have to work on: making sure they were actually streaming the whole time.

Yuya held the camera in his hands. Wide-eyed and mouth hanging open, he stared at its screen in horror.

"We..." he wheezed. "We..."

"We didn't record it," Yuto sighed. "Damn it."

"So we spent an hour talking, all for nothing?" Yuri groaned. "Fuck it."

"This suuuuuucks!" Yugo whined. "Shit it."

"Way to go, Yuya," Yuto sighed. "Next time, I should handle the technical stuff. Like always."

"Sorry, guys," Yuya said sheepishly. "But, uh, at least... At least we..."

"What?" Yugo wondered.

"... I don't know," Yuya admitted. "I was hoping I'd have an answer before I reached the end of my sentence."

"Nice."

Reiji's voice could be heard. _"I thought it was a good performance regardless."_

Yuya turned to look at his desk. His Duel Disk's screen lit up, letting out a small glow. And as Yuya approached the Disk, he could see Reiji's face on the screen, staring back at him.

"Reiji?" Yuya questioned.

 _"I was able to catch the performance,"_ Reiji told him. _"But only through audio. It's not much, but I can send you the audio."_

"So, we could make a podcast?" Yuya said, rubbing his chin. "That could work, actually. Thank you, Reiji!"

"No problem," Reiji answered, egao-ing. "I'll gt right on it."

The screen went dark, and the light turned off. And a relieved Yuya fell back on his bed behind him.

 _What a relief,_ he thought.

But then his eyes turned gray, and he sprung up from his bed.

"See? See?!" Yuto insisted. "How did Reiji know we were filming?"

 _I'm not sure,_ Yuya admitted. _Reiji wouldn't do that._

"He's spying on us!" Yuto yelled. "I told you guys! I told you!"

"Bruh, I think Yuto's right," Yugo said. "Reiji's sketchy as hell."

Reiji's voice could be heard again: _"I'm not spying, Yuto. You shouldn't be so paranoid."_

"Yeah, Yuto," Yuri chuckled. "Don't be so paranoid."


	63. Link 1: A Link Between Worlds

_**A/N: This chapter takes place right after Highway 410 and Yuri on Skates, but before the Halloween and recap chapters.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: The closer the Yu boys get, the more they can access each other's memories and feelings.**_

 _ **Description: Yugo tells his brothers about Zarc.**_

* * *

Yuya sank into his bed. He let the soft pillow hold his head, and he curled the sheets over his body. For him, it was heavenly.

He'd just gotten home from the Synchro Dimension. And after spending a story arc in an unfamiliar place, it was nice to finally come home and relax in his own sanctuary.

Now comfortable, Yuya closed his eyes and let his body lose any tension it carried. His mind was free to wander, and his head was filled with thoughts he wanted to mull over.

It wasn't time to rest, though; he was slowly letting himself fall into the mindscape, where he would meet with his brothers. Yugo said that they had something they needed to talk about...

* * *

Yuya found himself sitting on his bed, in his room. It was now day, and rays of the sun poured through his window. It was all just a projection of his mind, but he could still feel the warmth as the light fell over him.

He looked to his desk. Yuto materialized into the chair next to it. He swiveled around to face Yuya.

The room's door opened. Yugo stepped inside, then pushed the door. Carelessly, he let it slam shut, sending small vibrations through the room.

"Where's Yuri?" Yugo questioned.

"Check the closet," Yuto responded.

 _"Hey, screw you, eggplant boy."_

That voice came from the closet, by Yuto's desk. The wooden doors were pushed open, and Yuri strolled out. He looked disdainfully at Yuto and said, "Not another word, I just got lost coming here."

Yuto egao'd. Yuya egao'd. The two looked to each other and chuckled.

"So, I guess this meeting-" Yuya began.

"No," Yuri interjected.

"Is actually-"

"No."

"... A coming-out party."

Yuya laughed heartily at his own joke. Yuri simply rolled his eyes, while Yuto just kind of... chuckled quietly politely for a second or two. He wasn't too big on puns, not like Yuya.

Yugo cut through the laughter. "Yuya, please."

Yuya stopped. He, Yuto and Yuri all turned their focus to Yugo, who wasn't egao-ing with the rest of them.

"I have to talk to you about something."

Yugo paused for a moment. His hesitation was a clue to his brothers: Yugo wasn't in the mood to joke around with them. Whatever he was about to say, it was going to be something important.

"You guys haven't felt Zarc, have you?"

The others brothers all shook their heads.

"Not lately, no," Yuri said.

"Yugo, why are you asking?" Yuya asked sternly.

"During our duel with Jack..." Yugo said.

Yuya stood up from his seat. "You sensed him?"

"I think I _talked_ to him," Yugo said.

"What'd he say?" Yuto asked.

"He didn't really say anything, but he showed me images, and said 'together.'"

Yuri asked, "Why didn't you tell us earlier? This is really important."

Yugo's gaze fell to his feet.

"Well?" Yuri questioned.

"I wanted to focus on Garome," he explained. "And at first, I thought that we could just ignore it."

"Why would you think that?!" Yuto snapped.

"It happened because we were synched up!" Yugo barked back. "I thought that, like, we could just keep him away if we don't do it again."

Yuto pinched the bridge of his nose. "Damn it, Yugo. Damn it!"

"You _do_ remember how he wanted to destroy the world, right?" Yuri chimed in. "Or were planning on telling us this _after_ he came back and killed everyone?"

"Why are you telling us now?" Yuya asked.

"Hmm?"

Yuya nodded. "Yugo, you said you just wanted to ignore it. What made you change your mind?"

Yugo looked up to Yuya. To the calm but concerned face of his brother. Unlike Yuto, who sounded furious, Yuya's voice had been more inquizitive and inoffensive. it helped to put Yugo at ease.

"That guy from the Link Dimension," Yugo told them. "He thought we were Zarc. He _knew_ about Zarc."

"You think he might know something?" Yuto asked him. "Did he know about Zarc reaching out to you?"

"No, I don't think so... Er, maybe. I don't know. He vanished before we could talk, but he knew Zarc was a threat, so..."

Yuto put a hand to his chin. "Oh yeah... Didn't he say something about seeing Zarc, and wanting to strike before Zarc moves against them?"

"He did," Yugo confirmed.

"But we purified Zarc's spirit," Yuya said. "Zarc shouldn't be a threat."

"Tell that to his creepy visions."

The boys fell silent. They were all unsure of what to say, or where to go from that. None of them wanted to speak too quickly, not without knowing exactly how to proceed.

Yuri broke the silence with a sigh. "Ah... So you were worried about unleashing Zarc."

"Not _just_ that," Yugo told him. "He came out when we were synchronized. What if we get too close, and he-"

"And he takes over," Yuya finished.

"No," Yugo said, shaking his head. "What if we get too close, and we become him?"

"Is that not the same thing, Fusion?" Yuri questioned.

"No, I get it," Yuto said. "If we become Zarc, we're becoming one."

Yuri's eyes widened. "Ah..."

Yuya put his hand to his chin. "Yugo doesn't want us to be one person."

"Exactly!" Yugo said. He then let out let out a sigh of relief. "I don't want to be one person! I want to have my brothers!"

He looked to his brothers. Yuya took a step back, but a warm egao took over his face. Yuto stayed in his chair, but looked relieved with Yugo's words. Yuri just looked bemused.

"Look, I know it sucks sharing a body," Yugo went on. "But it'd suck harder to be alone, right?"

"I'd rather share a body and fight with you guys, than be left alone without my family," Yuya said.

"I suppose there are advantages to sharing your body with other men," Yuri mused.

"Why do you have to talk like that?" Yuto asked him. "This is why people keep thinking we're gay."

"Enough, guys," Yuya interrupted. "Yugo, we beat Zarc once. We can do it again."

Yuri turned to Yugo. "I hate Yuto, but I'll do everything I can to keep my brother safe from Zarc, or whatever."

"We all will," Yuya assured them. "We're a team now. We don't have to fear Zarc as long as we work together."

"But what if we become one person?" Yugo asked.

"We'll fight it!"

"But can we?" Yuto asked.

"I don't see why not," Yuri said. "If we ever notice that we're fusing, we just stop. Even a total fucking idiot named Fusion could figure that out."

"Good thing there's no one named _'Fusion'_ here!" Yugo said proudly. "Only Yugo!"

"Only the guy weakest link of the group, yeah."

Yugo took a step forward, raising up his fists. "You wanna say that again, sissy boy?!"

Yuri sneered. As he lifted up his left arm, an Academia-style Duel Disk materialized onto it.

"You want to try me, baby brother?" Yuri asked him. "Because I'm ready for Round Two~"

Yugo stepped back, then held up his left arm. His own Duel Disk materialized, and its green blade jutted out from the side.

Yugo egao'd. "I'm ready, little bro. And I'm a lot stronger than before."

"Wait. We can't both be the baby."

"We can settle it in the duel," Yuto told them. "Whoever wins is the older brother."

"Nice idea, Yoots!" Yugo agreed. "Wait, _we?_ "

Yuto rose from his seat and said, "I bet I would make a great oldest brother. I'm the most responsible, after all."

"You've been getting bolder lately!" Yuri giggled. "But as your big brother, it must be my duty to show you your place."

And while his brothers argued, Yuya watched on with an egao on his face. To him, it was a pretty comforting scene. It was nice.

Yuri was right about Yuto being more bold. Yuto was biting back whenever Yuri bothered him. It was less about being annoyed by Yuri, and more about volleying words between them. It was almost like Yuto forgot the hatred he had for Yuri.

Yuya noted that Yuri himself was also quite different. He was still the playful, mischievous kid that he always was. But lately, he had been less malicious when he prodded Yuto. He was a lot nicer to Yugo, and even helped him out against Garome. Really, he was embracing their brotherhood and becoming less hostile... comparatively. Was his kinder side being brought out because of Serena's love? Or did he have Serena's love because he brought out his kinder side?

Yuya looked to Yugo, who was excitedly telling his brothers something. After seeing Yugo's insecurities and worries, it really made Yuya appreciate the moments of genuine happiness the boy had. And after fighting for everything he's ever had, Yugo definitely deserved that happiness.

"Hey!" Yuya shouted out.

The three brothers looked to him.

"What? Aren't you going to invite me to the duel?" Yuya said.

Yuya lifted up his right arm, and an active Duel Disk materialized on it. "Bet I could beat you all on my own."

"Oh, you're on!" Yugo declared.

"I'll be the one to prove you wrong, Yuya!" Yuto said warmly.

"I'm ready for our Round Two, tomato boy!" Yuri announced.

* * *

The room had given way to an enormous stadium - the stadium used for the Junior Youth tournament. Every seat in the house was filled by a cheering audience member, who were all screaming the names of various Yu boys. The artificially-created excitement was palpable.

The brothers stood several feet apart, creating in a diamond formation. Yuya stood across from Yuto, while Yugo and Yuri were to his left and right, respectively. There was enough space between them to allow the brothers to go all-out and summon whatever they could.

"Alright, I'll go first!" Yuya announced. "Then Yuri, then Yuto, and then Yugo."

"Why do _you_ get to go first?" Yuto asked.

"Well, that's obvious!"

"How so?" Yugo asked.

"Because my turn already started!" Yuya declared. "With my Scale 2 Timebreaker Magician, and my Scale 8 Performapal Odd-Eyes Unicorn, I set the Pendulum Scales!"

Yuya slammed his cards onto either end of his blade. Two pillars of light rose beside him, and the monsters inside floated to the sky. Once they reached the top, their Scale numbers appeared below them, and a swinging pendulum circled through the clouds above.

"Swing, Pendulum of the soul! Carve a light across the ether!" Yuya cried out. "Pendulum Summon! Come on, my monster friends!"

Three beams of light shot down before him. They faded to reveal Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon **(ATK 2500)** , Performapal Silver Claw **(ATK 1800)** , and Black Fang Magician **(ATK 1700)** , who all stood before their master on the field of battle.

"For our first act..." Yuya began. "I think we'll overlay Level 4 Performapal Silver Claw and Black Fang Magician!"

Yuri put his hands on his hips. "Typical. He's using other peoples' cards because he can't make his own Extra Deck."

A familiar vortex opened before Yuya. His wolf and his wizard jumped forward and let themselves fall into the vortex. Their bodies became light, and their forms merged together to create a new glow.

Yuya began his chant. "Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs!"

"Hey!" Yuto snapped. "If you use Dark Rebellion against me, you're gonna get it!"

Yuya egao'd. "We'll see about that! Xyz Summon! "

A card was ejected from the Disk's Extra Deck slot. Yuya took the card and slammed it into his blade.

"Rank 4! Dark Rebe..."

He looked down at the card. To his horror, the card now facing him was Supreme King Z-ARC.

* * *

Yuya found himself staring at the ceiling of his room. His _real_ room. It didn't take him that much time to realize that he woke up from his thoughts in the mindscape

 _Was I dreaming? Did I fall asleep?_

He lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. His thoughts were a mess. He was thinking about Zarc. About the duel. About everything Yugo said. About the world. About so many things he didn't want to deal with.

 _Or was it real?_

But he couldn't just lay around all night. Determined, he rose up from his bed and made his way over to the other side of his room.

Yuya stood over his desk, staring down at his deck. His deck sat between his Duel Disk and his Extra Deck. All of his cards were piled neatly; not a single card was astray.

 _What if...?_

Yuya extended a hand to his deck. But he didn't get close enough to touch his cards. He couldn't.

He could feel his brothers around him. None of them were reaching out for the cards, either. Like they still had the same apprehension about finding something they didn't want to see. None of them said anything then.

 _Zarc,_ Yuya thought.

None of them answered. But all of them knew.

Yuya sighed. _I didn't think I'd still be so scared of him._

 _I was, too,_ Yuto admitted.

 _We talked a good game about standing up to him,_ Yuri said. _Yet here we are, eh?_

 _We didn't even synch up, and Zarc still showed up,_ both Yuya and Yugo said in unison. That little moment of synchronicity made Yuya gasp.

 _Sorry..._ Yugo said.

 _No, don't worry,_ Yuya told him. _But now what? How are we going to right him?_

 _Can we fight him, though?_ Yuto asked.

 _Of course we can. We beat him once, and we can do it again._

 _Yeah!_ Yugo said, his voice carrying a tone of cautious optimism. _We're not the same guys we used to be. We're strong now. We're family now._

 _Still,_ Yuri said slowly. _Maybe we shouldn't get too close._

 _Huh? Why?_

 _What are you saying, Yuri?_ both Yuya and Yuto asked him.

 _If being too friendly with each other is bringing back Zarc, it's too much of a risk,_ Yuri said. _We weren't fusing our thoughts together, but we still called Zarc._

 _What's your solution here?_ Yuto asked. _That we just avoid each other?_

 _That's not really possible with us,_ Yuya said.

 _Obviously, it's not what I want,_ Yuri said bitterly. _But it looks like just working together is bringing him back._

 _Yuri..._

 _Until we know what's going on, maybe we shouldn't work together, or share our cards._

 _Yuri, no!_ Yugo snapped.

 _We should try to avoid talking to each other._

 _We can't do that! We're family!_

 _Hey, I don't like it either!_ Yuri shouted. _You think I want to lose the only family I have?_

"But we're not losing each other!" Yuya offered.

Yugo pouted. _Hmmph..._

"Look, maybe Yuri's right," Yuya said. "We cool off for a while. But only until we figure out what to do!"

 _And how do we figure things out?_ asked Yuto. _No one else has experience with this. Leo and the girls just have the En cards to fight Zarc._

 _And what if they use the cards on us now?_ Yugo wondered. _Would that separate us? Or destroy us? Will it even work?_

"I don't know," Yuya confessed. "I don't know all the answers. I just now that, deep in my heart, Zarc can't defeat us."

It was a nice sentiment, the other brothers agreed. But if they were truly being honest, none of them were sure that it was correct.

* * *

 _ **A/N: I just thought I'd also work on regular chapters and bonus chapters at the same time, and post whatever is finished first. So bonus chapters are still coming, including a skunk ape chapter that a lot of people wanted.**_

 _ **Next time: The Lancers prepare for their journey to the Link Dimension.**_


	64. Link 2: Links Awakening

_**A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates and responses. Holidays and real life have made things hectic. My step-dad had a heart attack, so I had to take care of him for a while. I've also been planning on going back to college this year, so even more of my time was eaten up. But I have no plans to abandon this fic just yet.**_

 _ **On the plus side, my absence coincides with the timeskip. This chapter takes place a couple of months after the Synchro arc. Since the fic has been more-or-less moving in real time, things line up perfectly.**_

 _ **Fun Fact: Serena's just going to get really fat one day, just you watch.**_

 _ **Description: Reiji and the Lancers plan ahead.**_

* * *

How long had it been since the Lancers gathered together? It had been nearly a year since they assembled in Reiji's conference room. Their discussions were usually conducted through conference calls, streams, or text messages - small, unobtrusive ways to communicate with each other. If they were to ever assemble properly, it would only be for the most important meetings.

As all of the Lancers waited for Reiji, every single one of them had the same thought: the Link Dimension. They'd spent several months training for their inevitable confrontation with that dimension's people. A war was at their doorstep, and they had to be prepared for it.

The Lancers were seated around a circular glass table. Yuya and Yuzu sat together, of course, while they held hands underneath the table. They both felt the heavy pull anxiety, but they chose to keep calm and stand strong. For each other, and the people around them.

There were a lot of people in the room. Of course, you had the main Lancers; Yuya, Yuzu, Gongenzaka, Sawatari, Sora, Tsukikage, and Hikage. But you had other members, like Dennis, Yusho, Jack, Crow, Asuka, Edo, and Kaito. It was a tight fit around the table, but they made do.

Finally, the doors swung open, and Reiji Akaba entered the room. The Lancers fell silent, watching their leader as he made his way to an empty seat at the table. Once he sat down, all of them waited anxiously for him to speak.

The first thing Reiji said was, "Yuya, did you enjoy your visit to the Synchro Dimension?"

An awkward silence fell over the room. Everyone, everyone looked from Reiji to Yuya, wondering why they had to put up with this again. It seemed as though every meeting began with Reiji making polite conversation with the boy.

Everyone except Yuya, who nodded and egao'd. "It was fine, thanks!"

 _Like he doesn't know all about it..._ Yuto sighed.

"I trust you had a lot of rest and relaxation," Reiji responded. "Unfortunately, I must tell you that the times ahead won't be so easy."

Reiji lifted his left arm, exposing his Duel Disk. With a few taps of the screen, the table before him started to glow. Its glassy surface now let out a gentle white light, and the image of the LDS logo appeared a foot off of the tabletop. It was a hologram.

"As you should all recall, we've been visited by several envoys from the Link Dimension. With every appearance, they have at least attempted to assault several people, cause damage to property, or otherwise disrupt our work."

The hologram turned into an image of a helmeted duelist and her female monsters, dueling against a man. The next image showed Flu, who faced an unseen camera with his Token Master. The image after that showed the backs of Tsukikage and Hikage as they stood on the roof of a bus, facing a man in a flowing green cape. This lead into another picture, showing Dennis and his Trapeze High Magician dancing in the air before a large, fanged rabbit monster. Finally, the last image depicted a duel between Shun and a brown-haired woman.

As Yuzu looked to an empty chair across from her, she felt a pang in her heart. Shun wasn't with them any more. She only saw him a few days after their return from the Synchro Dimension, when they visited Sawatari's home. That was almost four months ago.

"We have made several key conclusions in our research into the Link Dimension," explained Reiji. "For one, the Link Dimension didn't seem to exist until fairly recently."

Now, Jean-Michel Roget's top half was projected by the table. He was sitting in a bed, shirtless, and with several bandages wrapped around his torso.

"Jean-Michel, who had been trapped in the space between dimensions, was brought into the Link Dimension when it came into existence. From what Roget has told us, it seems that this happened around the time Zarc was reborn."

Yuya lowered his head. The... the memories of that day were blurry, but the incident weighed heavily on his shoulders. And because of recent events, the idea of Zarc's presence was always in the back of his mind.

"They're coming after us because of him," Yuya said. "Because of Zarc. They think he's a threat, a weapon that we could use against them. And they wanted to discourage us from acting against them."

"Ironically, their attacks forced our hand," Reiji concluded. "In order to stop them, we need to strike at the source and meet with the people of the Link Dimension."

Now the hologram changed to the image of a Duel Monsters card. Specifically, a Link-3 Link Monster. It slowly rotated in a circle, allowing every one at the table a chance to view it from multiple angles.

"Of course, the cards are stacked against us. The Link Dimension uses a new summoning method. And with it, a new field with its own set of rules."

"Pendulum Zones are gone, which is _lame_ ," Sawatari said bitterly. "So we gotta use the Spell and Trap Zones if we want to Pendulum Summon."

"How many Extra Deck monsters we can summon is limited," Gongenzaka added. "Unless we use Link Monsters, we are forced to summon _one_ monster from the Extra Deck at a time."

Yuya clenched his free hand. "Their rules are disgusting. Limiting the Extra Deck like that, hurting Pendulums... I can't agree with these new rules!"

"Neither can I," Reiji agreed. "But fortunately, we'll be able to fight them on more equal footing."

The hologram changed once more. This time, the Link Monster card shrank, and several other cards appeared around it. Over two dozen cards, all in four rows, were presented before the Lancers.

"We've reverse-engineered Link Summoning, its rules, and the cards that incorporate it," Reiji went on. "Because of this, we will have cards that will work in conjunction with the new rules, including our own Link Monsters."

"It disgusts me, having to give up Extra Deck space to Links," Yuya said quietly. "But I'll do whatever I can to bring out my Extra Deck monsters."

Sora pulled his lollipop away from his face. "Yuya sure seems angry about Links."

"He doesn't like the new rules," Yuzu told him. "The sooner we can get away from the Link Dimension, the better."

"Hopefully, we can resolve our disputes without dueling," Reiji commented. "Hopefully, these new cards will never have to be used. Though judging from our experiences with the Link Dimension, that possibility seems unlikely."

Yuya looked up. "But if we _do_ duel, Entertainment Dueling might be our best shot at bringing peace and happiness to the Link Dimension!"

 _It's not like Links users deserve any happiness,_ was what he thought.

Reiji nodded in agreement. "Yes. I trust everyone - especially _you_ , Yuya- to communicate our feelings through duels. This communication is one of the Lancers' greatest weapons."

Their _actual_ greatest weapon was a missile.

"Now, to discuss our next course of action..." Reiji began. "We trained, we learned the new rules, we gathered intelligence, and we strengthened our decks. I'd say we're just about ready for the start of our mission."

Reiji looked to the crowd before him. Every Lancer looked at him, unblinking and unwavering. They all understood. They all knew this was coming. Worries or not, every single one of them was ready for this mission.

Reiji egao'd. "In a week's time, we will be setting off to the Link Dimension. From there, we will explore Link VRAINS and attempt to locate Aoi Zaizen's superior."

In response, the Lancers nodded. Some would comment with "Right," or "Understood." Again, none of them showed any hesitation or displeasure with Reiji or his ideas.

"It won't just be us fighting, of course."

"What?" Yuzu questioned. She raised an eyebrow. "I don't follow."

Reiji turned to Sawatari. "Sawatari convinced me to induct two new duelists to the Lancers."

With a big grin on his face, Sawatari rose to his feet. He looked over the other Lancers, and he let out a small, proud chuckle. He was really soaking in the attention now.

"Who joined?" Yuzu asked.

"It was simple, really," he said. "Child's play, really. I knew they would be assets. So I talked to Reiji about adding them to the team, and then I talked to _them_ about joining the team, and-"

"Who joined?" Yuzu asked again.

"... And then I talked to _them_ about joining the team, and-"

"Just tell us who joined," Yuzu said sternly.

As if on cue, the doors to the room swung open. Everyone in the room was drawn to a little girl, who proudly waltzed into the room with her hands on her hips. Mieru Hochun looked at the Lancers with glowing pride.

"It is I, _Mieru_!" the girl declared.

Also, Yuu Sakuragi was there. The boy trailed behind Mieru, walking with a more casual stride. Though he seemed much less bombastic than the other recruit, he had a small, polite egao.

"Sawatari told me that you would need my help," Mieru explained. "He said that, with my clairvoyance, the Lancers can 'avoid a stint in jail...' Whatever that means."

"I didn't want to break out of prison a _third_ time..." Sawatari grumbled.

"Mieru's abilities were something I overlooked before," Reiji explained. "I don't want to make the same mistake again."

"It's great to have you aboard, Mieru," Yuya said, egao-ing.

"Yeah, it's wonderful," Yuzu lied. "But why _are_ you here?"

"To help my friends," Mieru answered. "Sawatari told me all about the horrible things that happened to you guys during the war!"

But then her chipper tone became somber. "About Zarc, and the Battle Beast, and... other things. They sounded so scary."

Mieru put a hand to her chest. "But I couldn't let my darling go through all that again."

Yuya egao'd. "Mieru, that's very nice of you! But you don't have to worry about me."

"Yeah!" Yuzu agreed. "The Lancers protect each other... And I'll have Yuya's back, most of all."

"And I'll help!" Mieru affirmed.

"That's so nice of you!" Yuzu lied. "But I already have Yuya's back."

"And so will I."

"You'll need to watch your own back, too," Yuzu said ominously.

And suddenly, an awkward, chilling quiet filled the room. Everyone in the room could feel it: it was like being in the eye of the storm, waiting for a horrible disaster to strike at any moment. A feeling that every one of them was in grave danger.

Dennis decided to change the subject. "And what about the other guy? Yuu, I believe was his name? What brings you here?"

"Yuu Sakuragi," Yuu answered.

"Are you sure you can handle the job? We have a tendency to run into tough crowds."

"I've been wanting to join the Lancers for a long time. I've been training for nearly a year in the hopes that I could help."

"I even started coaching him, myself!" Sawatari added. "That's why I vouched for him - I _know_ he's good."

"...Are you sure you can handle the job?" Dennis asked again.

"I trust Sawatari," Reiji said.

Everyone in the room looked to Reiji. Everyone but Yuu and Sawatari seemed to be in disbelief... Which, all things considered, was something Sawatari was taking personally.

"W-well, of course you should!" Sawatari snapped. "Haven't I proven myself time and time and time and time again?"

Yuya nodded. "O-of course! I trust you, too!"

"Hell, so do I," Crow agreed.

"I... I don't think I ever talked to you before," Asuka said. "I'm sorry - I shouldn't have assumed that you were just..."

"Just what?" Sawatari said. "A joke?"

"No, I... I..."

"Let's put this aside for now," Reiji said. "At the end of the day, the Lancers have proven themselves on the field. And I'm confident that both of our new members will do the same."

"I understand," Yuya commented. "And hey - I'll be there to keep them safe."

For the most part, the Lancers seemed to agree. Some gave quick words of agreement, or nodded to their new comrades. But Gongenzaka crossed his arms and kept a stern eye on Mieru.

Not that Mieru was paying attention to anyone but Yuya. "Thank you, my darling!"

There it was again. That chill in the air. The deafening silence. Mieru could feel it, but she couldn't _understand_ it. She didn't need to; she was confident that her "darling" would protect her from harm.

Yuzu rose up from her seat and slammed her hands down on the table. The glass shook upon contact, and the other Lancers would all swear that they heard it crack. Maybe they were wrong, though; they were way more focused on Yuzu's disturbingly serene expression.

"I think we should get more acquainted with the new Lancers!" she said happily. "How about a friendly duel, Mieru? We'll see what you got!"

* * *

 _ **A/N: This chapter was going to be longer. But since you guys have been waiting patiently for so long, I want to get this chapter out quickly have something out. The chapter's cut content will be fleshed out and given its own chapter or two. I hope that's okay with you guys.**_


	65. Link 3: End of the Link

_**Fun Fact: It all comes tumbling down.**_

 _ **Description: Yeah.**_

* * *

It had been a week later, and the Lancers were all in the Link Dimension. They were looking around for a way to get into Link VRAINS, when Yuya pointed out Cafe Nagi. So they all went to Cafe Nagi.

But to their surprise, they met a boy with blue and pink hair! Also he was a skunk ape because why the fuck not.

"Excuse me," Yuya said to him. "You look important. Are you related to the attacks on the other dimensions."

"Yeah," the guy said. "My name is Yusaku Fujiki, and I want to stop Zarc."

"Don't worry, we already did," Yuya informed him. "It's all under control. So please stop attacking us."

Yusaku put a hand to his chin. "Well... If you say so, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."

And that was how Yuya saved everyone from the Link Dimension! Also, he briefly let Zarc loose to kill the entire Dimension before they left, forever ridding the universe of Link Summoning and Master Rules 4.

* * *

So later Yuya, Yuzu and Gongenzaka went camping. They saw a wise skunk ape.

"Hello, wise skunk ape," Yuya said.

"Yuya, you and Yuzu can split into four people," said the wise skunk ape. "Just use your Zarc and Ray powers."

"Okay! thanks!" they all said.

And that was how Yuya was separated from his brothers, and Yuzu was separated from her sisters.

* * *

Years later, Yuya would marry Serena, because she was best girl. Yuzu married Yugo, Rin died in a car accident, and Ruri and Yuri became celibate monks or w/e. Yuto's like my least favorite brother so I don't know or care what happened to him.

* * *

Thirty years later, Yuya became a teacher and a pro duelist. He taught the new generation of duelists how to egao. The end.

The edn. happy anniversary, glas you all stayed with the fic so long. It's over now, hope you liked it.


End file.
